Clark-Y airfoil for model aircraft

thingiverse

I was testing a Clark Y airfoil as part of an experiment to see if it's possible to cover a 3D printed component with iron-on foil like Oracover. I was unsure whether this approach would work, so I decided to investigate further. The recommended temperatures for using the iron are approximately 100°C for the initial fixing of the foil to the underlying surface, 130°C for the second round of fixing, and up to 150°C to shrink the foil and eliminate any wrinkles, resulting in a perfectly smooth aerodynamic surface. The part I had printed was made from PETG material from DasFilament.de, and I was pleasantly surprised by how little it was affected by the iron. I was able to attach Ora light without encountering any difficulties. If you keep the iron in the same position for an extended period (say 10 seconds) with temperatures of 130°C or higher, the PETG will warm up enough to be permanently bendable with some force, but it won't melt and cause a mess, not even at 150°C. In general, the test was very successful, and I discovered that it is indeed possible to use 3D printed components to create foil-covered RC airplanes. This approach has its advantages over printing the entire plane, as the resulting design is much more robust and less prone to damage. However, I agree that my method requires more effort and working with an iron can be intimidating for some people. The component I created measures 100mm in length, 3mm in thickness, and is designed to fit a wooden main spar of 8x3mm and a secondary spar of 4x4mm, which are readily available at most home improvement stores. I plan to build a complete RC aircraft based on this technology, with a wing span of approximately 100cm, using an airfoil of similar size. This project will take some time to complete, but I'll be sure to share the results as soon as it's ready. If you decide to use this method, I'd love to hear about your experience and learn from your results. The underlying image in the screenshots is courtesy of Wikimedia: CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75515950