Anyone else try it?
I'll try to make a long story short....A year ago I didn't really know what a 3D printer was. I was building a custom PC last January, needed some brackets for the CPU cooler, and began my interest in 3D printing. It's been on my bucket list to make a set of fins, but learning the computer aided design software was something that took a back seat, while I experimented with different materials, and modifying my hardware to print them successfully. One of my newer Yolo's is an XTR Hydrodynamica Mini Simmons, and it looks like the fin boxes were placed too close to the tail, putting the trailing edge of most of my fin choices off the rear of the board. The captain fin ESPECIAL moves the fin forward a little, as well as the NVS Blackbird, but I took advantage of a recent flat spell to buckle down, and learn the software to design my own. After some experimentation, I was able to design my own foil, and move the leading edge of the fin forward of the fin box. I had to put a hole in the design to allow access to the grub screw. The material I ended up using is PETG (as seen on the white keels) however the materials that are becoming available in the 3D printing world is evolving. The black set is nylon with 20 percent carbon fiber. I used the white ones this morning for the first time. They worked, I'm excited, but need more time to judge any performance characteristics. My current fin has a 4.5 degree cant, and a flat foil on the inside.
Anyway, I posted this to see if anyone else here has tried this. I bet a real engineer could come up with some great designs.
I'll try to make a long story short....A year ago I didn't really know what a 3D printer was. I was building a custom PC last January, needed some brackets for the CPU cooler, and began my interest in 3D printing. It's been on my bucket list to make a set of fins, but learning the computer aided design software was something that took a back seat, while I experimented with different materials, and modifying my hardware to print them successfully. One of my newer Yolo's is an XTR Hydrodynamica Mini Simmons, and it looks like the fin boxes were placed too close to the tail, putting the trailing edge of most of my fin choices off the rear of the board. The captain fin ESPECIAL moves the fin forward a little, as well as the NVS Blackbird, but I took advantage of a recent flat spell to buckle down, and learn the software to design my own. After some experimentation, I was able to design my own foil, and move the leading edge of the fin forward of the fin box. I had to put a hole in the design to allow access to the grub screw. The material I ended up using is PETG (as seen on the white keels) however the materials that are becoming available in the 3D printing world is evolving. The black set is nylon with 20 percent carbon fiber. I used the white ones this morning for the first time. They worked, I'm excited, but need more time to judge any performance characteristics. My current fin has a 4.5 degree cant, and a flat foil on the inside.
Anyway, I posted this to see if anyone else here has tried this. I bet a real engineer could come up with some great designs.
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