Model Rocket Launch Platform

thingiverse

UPDATE AS OF 30/1/22 I have updated the tower base file into a completely revamped version, with the most dramatic change being the tower anchor points having moved about 2.5cm forward and up, connected with various pillars to ensure strength. The reason for this is because the "foot" of the base was right underneath where the rocket would be sitting, and would be at risk of being melted by a full face of rocket flame. This change adds about 2 hours to the print time however it is advised you use this part instead of the old base. Please refer below for printing instructions. Work in progress! ================ ***Hello thingiverse user*** Please be aware that this project has extremely long print times and you may spend over 150 hours in total printing all the components (10 tower segments at 13 hours each is pretty painful) Be sure to come prepared mentally and physically prepared with at least 1.5kg of filament. What is this? ======= The MPLP, or Medium Power Launch Platform, is a large completely 3D printable model rocket launch tower, fit for, as the name suggests, medium power model rockets. This is a gigantic work in progress - in a sense - as I have already basically finished designing and constructing one of my own. It currently sits in my room, a nearly 1.7 metre tall PLA construction, not doing much. We'll call this the first prototype. This prototype is messy, retrofitted with different design changes and quick fixes after breakages, and overall not something i would even consider gifting someone let alone publishing for the internet to have. However, this thingiverse thing is the start of what will hopefully force me to get to work on refining and updating the first prototype design, directly integrating those things i had to retrofit, and making the whole thing stronger as a whole. The thumbnail renders are of the CAD design of the first prototype, so hopefully this gives you an idea of what to expect. And so, as a gift for clicking here and reading, I present to you the first pieces: The base and 2 variants of the common tower segment. Please feel free to print these if you have some filament you wish to get rid of, and let me know if there are any issues. Like i said, this is still a work in progress and i *will* do my own test printing eventually until i am completely happy with the product. The Components ============== As you can see there are currently a handful of files available as of now, and there will be more later, however I will start now with making the list of designations so you, as the builder, know what you're printing. **MPLP_TowerBaseNew.stl** As simple as they come, this is the base of the tower. It goes right at the bottom. **MPLP_CommonTower.stl** and **MPLP_CommonTowerRail.stl** It is important to know the difference between these two. In essence, they are identical except the **rail** variant has vertical rails on the aft of the segment on which the rear carriage will travel up and down on (When i release that part of the tower) If you want a simple version of the tower, don't use the **rail** file. That's it for the moment, check back soon when more files are added. Construction ========== So, you want to build the tower? Unfortunately I haven't compiled any instructions yet. Soon, however, they will appear below here when I do. For now, the basic idea is that you will need: - 1x **MPLP_TowerBase.stl** - 10x **MPLP_CommonTower.stl** - Alternatively 3x of these and 7x **MPLP_CommonTowerRail.stl** - 1x Tower cap/ceiling - 1x base hinge assembly upper and lower - 2x aft base hinge assembly upper and lower - 2x forward arms - 2x aft arms - 2x base "chopsticks" - 4x hinge caps And many more things which I will add when they are uploaded.