"The NoStress" | Flexible TPU 5'' racing drone

thingiverse

The NoStress - Flexible TPU 5'' Racing Drone Frame It's surprisingly heavy, weighing about as much as a 5'' freestyle drone with a GoPro attached. You might expect it to be super flexible, but it's actually quite sturdy. Tuning -------- To prevent vibrations on the yaw axis when using noisy motors, you'll need to set D on the yaw axis to 0. This will help avoid runaways and get your drone flying smoothly again. Hardware --------- The frame is designed to accept 22xx and 23xx motors, with two stack size options available. To assemble it, you'll need some zip ties, four 25mm standoffs, and eight 8mm or 10mm M3 screws. Video ------ Here's the NoStress in action on a track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDVNW3v9kEc And here are some other drones chasing after it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqO0G39QlE0 Important Note About Print Settings ----------------------------------- When reading the description below, be sure to check the pictures above to understand what I'm trying to explain. It's crucial you grasp the "why" behind each step, or you might end up wasting a lot of filament. Plates ------- For the top plate, choose your preferred stack size (20x20 or 30.5x30.5) and print it using a stiff filament. My go-to choice is Nylon+CF, but anything else will do. The same applies to the bottom plate – use a stiff filament for this one too. Fin and Body ------------- The turtle fin and body are both printed in TPU. For the fin, aim for about 15% Gyroid infill and two walls to keep it lightweight and nice and squishy. Printing the Frame Body ------------------------- Print the body upside down, with supports only needed in the motor holes. These are my settings on a 0.4mm nozzle: * Layer height: 0.25mm * Line width: 0.6mm * Wall lines: 2 * Top/Bottom layers: 5 * Infill density: 8% * Infill pattern: Grid * Connect infill lines: yes * Supports: yes, only bed * Adhesion: 10 line brim Each of these settings serves a specific purpose – I've done some testing to get them just right. Variable Infill in Motor Holes ------------------------------- Place a "support blocker" in each motor hole and rotate it 45 degrees. Then change the blockers to meshes that allow you to edit overlap settings and set: * Infill density: 100% * Infill pattern: ZigZag By doing this, you're not blocking supports (which are essential) – you're setting variable infill. This ensures the area where motor screws pass through is as stiff as possible, so we need 100% infill there.