How to Build a Long Distance 3D Printed Drone

In this video, we create a long distance flying 3D printed drone and show all the steps to assemble with parts available from Amazon.
00:03 Introduction
00:23 Design
00:33 3D Print Slicing
01:28 Starting the 3D Print
02:05 Time Lapse of 3D Print
03:04 Removing the Supports
03:38 Drone Assembly
04:43 Flying 3D Printed Drone
This 3D printed drone packs a massive amount of power into a compact CAD designed frame. It wouldn’t go too far to call this a flying battery, as it boasts as 130 Watt battery capacity to power the drone. This battery is three times as powerful as a convention dji battery pack and will give you approximately 40-50 minutes of flying time with up to a 10 mile range.
Using 22mm brushless motor with 7” tri-blade propellers, it is driven with latest SpeedyBee V3 F7 Flight stack. If you would like to create this 3D printed drone yourself, you can 3D print the drone main body and lid with the STL CAD design files provided below as well as order the parts below to follow along with the assembly.
CAD STL Design 3D Print Drone Files:
Main Body - cdn.goengineer.com/body_long_...
Components Lid - cdn.goengineer.com/lid_long_d...
Products Featured:
SOLIDWORKS CAD: www.goengineer.com/solidworks...
Stratasys F370 3D Printer: www.goengineer.com/3d-printin...
GrabCAD Print Software: www.goengineer.com/3d-printin...
Below are the links for the items purchased. To complete this build, you will need a soldering iron, heat shrink, 5 m3x10mm screws, M3 tap and a metric hex screwdriver.
3D Printed Drone Parts:
1X 2207 1800kv Brushless Motors ($62.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B07TK6WS1R?...
1X SpeedyBee V3 F7 ($123.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5QYXJNT?...
1X 6S 5200 Mah LiPo Battery ($69.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B083NW11ZJ?...
1X ExpressLRS lite receiver ($18.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B09M6SLFFQ?...
1X Runcam Pheonix 2 JB edition ($35.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B08BNNQZ8G?...
1X AKK Race Ranger 1000mW VTX ($24.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B07YC1BSX6?...
1X Foxeer lollipop VTX antenna ($21.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B07D12XS6K?...
1X XT60 Plug for battery connector ($8.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B07QH249CR?...
Total $367
Optional Parts:
Runcam 5 4k Action Camera with SD card ($125.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B082Z16S54?...
iFlight FPV goggles ($92.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B08RJFTJDY?...
GPS Module ($29.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B078Y6323W?...
1X BetaFPV ExpressLRS remote control ($54.99) www.amazon.com/dp/B09J8N2QW8?...
Want to learn more about FDM 3D Printing? Check out this page:
www.goengineer.com/3d-printin...
Website: www.goengineer.com
Blog: www.goengineer.com/blog
Facebook: / goengineer
Twitter: / goengineer
LinkedIn: / goengineer
Instagram: / goengineer
Get To Know GoEngineer:
Collaboration and partnership with our customers is at the center of everything we do. With more than 35 years of experience and thousands of customers in high-tech, medical, machine design, energy, and other industries, GoEngineer provides best-in-class design solutions, carefully selected that are easy to use, manage, and integrate with other platforms. We are also pleased to support Educational communities as the National and Global leader for Colleges, Universities, and school.

Пікірлер: 113

  • @5mmTech
    @5mmTechАй бұрын

    I'm not sure if you'll see this, but thanks for sharing your drone project. I wanted to take a second to compliment how genuinely kind and friendly you come off in your videos. It's nice to have people of your caliber sharing content. I just wanted to thank you for it. Keep on succeeding! 🎉

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you so much, we appreciate the kind words! And thank you for taking the time to check out our content, hope you find it useful!

  • @Crappy.Consumer.Reports
    @Crappy.Consumer.Reports6 ай бұрын

    I enjoyed the Timelapse you made.

  • @JackLe1127
    @JackLe11277 ай бұрын

    If you print it on the side, it'll be more rigid. Vertical adhesion is always weaker than horizontal on FDM printers.

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    5 ай бұрын

    This may be true, but for the build volume we had available this orientation was needed. The drone has been flown for many hours and is still whole and undamaged showing no signs of layer adhesion issues.

  • @JackLe1127

    @JackLe1127

    5 ай бұрын

    @@goengineer It's more of a concern when you crash

  • @WhereNerdyisCool

    @WhereNerdyisCool

    4 ай бұрын

    I was thinking the very same thing, X & Y give the best strength but I see he was constrained by the build volume.

  • @joshuazuniga9794
    @joshuazuniga9794 Жыл бұрын

    So many opinions here on build orientation and challenging the engineer's thought process. Consider that they are showcasing the capabilities of a professional/industrial 3D printer. He threw it in there in an orientation most would be frightened to tackle with their hobby level printer. A day (plus) of printing and the parts came out flawless. No need to design to the printer's capabilities, it'll just roll with it!

  • @mslindqu

    @mslindqu

    Жыл бұрын

    flawless? I saw a ton of stringing. I guarentee he had to do a bunch of cleanup on it. I was gonna say he probably should have used an ender3 and just glued it together. would have turned out cleaner.

  • @richardcromwell5155

    @richardcromwell5155

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mslindqu It looks like the stringing was the support material, not the model. It would not have an effect on model quality.

  • @religionisapoison2413

    @religionisapoison2413

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mslindqu stringing just burns off with a lighter

  • @mslindqu

    @mslindqu

    Жыл бұрын

    @@religionisapoison2413 Oh, had no idea. Never printed anything in my life.

  • @religionisapoison2413

    @religionisapoison2413

    Жыл бұрын

    @@mslindqu no problem. Me neither. Just researching. About to set up my printer... From what I gather, main thing that would cause problems would be layer offsets, weak layer adhesion if cooling or layer height isn't done right, and low infill percentages leading to structural weakness. The guy in this video has a really good looking print... His machine probably costs well over 1-2k with the dual filament and slick layers (he might just be using a makerspace in his area)

  • @hz_420
    @hz_420 Жыл бұрын

    this is another level

  • @DaVid-ju7ee
    @DaVid-ju7ee Жыл бұрын

    A very nice model, good material choice and sound design. That said as others pointed out the Main Body should be printed lying down to save support material, time and have the layers aligned parralel to the ground. Keep it up !

  • @minonim8749

    @minonim8749

    Жыл бұрын

    yes it would save support material how ever the printer bed isnt big enought to print it laying down

  • @jackgames3009

    @jackgames3009

    11 ай бұрын

    ​@@minonim8749 I just started watching this video and was checking the comments to know how good it really is and I hadn't noticed how small the build plate is so thank you

  • @minonim8749

    @minonim8749

    11 ай бұрын

    @@jackgames3009 his print bed in the video is quite large i use a ender 3 and compared to mine his is way larger and wont fit the same, in comparison to yours i wont know but his print bed it quite large than most average printers

  • @jackgames3009

    @jackgames3009

    11 ай бұрын

    ​@@minonim8749 I have an ender 3 v2 neo so the print bed is quite small compared to other printers

  • @herbertspetersons1979
    @herbertspetersons197911 ай бұрын

    Hi! can you please upload a video showing how to assemble the electronics together? like connecting the motors to the propellers and stuff? please!

  • @TheStringBreaker
    @TheStringBreaker Жыл бұрын

    *Solid Video! Subbed!*

  • @eprohoda
    @eprohoda Жыл бұрын

    good evening. aewsome job,

  • @ahmedd.masoud6809
    @ahmedd.masoud6809 Жыл бұрын

    Amazing 🤩

  • @AerialWaviator
    @AerialWaviator Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for sharing this fascinating drone project. Nice end result. What filament was the drone printed with? I can not seem to find mention of filaments used. Also curious what the printed frame weighted before the electronics and camera were added. Clearly the support structure is a different material. It's interesting that can be easily removed.

  • @Wassermelonenbaum

    @Wassermelonenbaum

    7 ай бұрын

    He mentions the mass in cubic inches and the slicer showed it too. It translates to about 380g. The filaments are shown on the printers display, ABS and QSR. I would recommend looking at some more advanced filaments like various carbon fiber infused ones or Aero-PLA if you plan on building something light. I am sure you could cut off a lot of weight using one of those.

  • @sathyashiva3363
    @sathyashiva3363 Жыл бұрын

    Nice

  • @jf713jf
    @jf713jf Жыл бұрын

    Me, wondering how an ultrasonic bath feels 2 the print

  • @fleaniswerkhardt4647
    @fleaniswerkhardt46474 ай бұрын

    What was the temperature the build chamber was set at when you were printing?

  • @erniea5843
    @erniea58438 ай бұрын

    More like “how to build a frame”. The electronics and long distance connection aspect would have more interesting.

  • @alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723
    @alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723 Жыл бұрын

    This is crazy, I wish I had bigger printer,

  • @DaveSmith-cp5kj

    @DaveSmith-cp5kj

    6 ай бұрын

    A solution is to print these in pieces, use a soldering iron to fuse them together, then salt fuse the whole thing into a solid piece.

  • @saxologist1
    @saxologist1 Жыл бұрын

    How do you get long distance range (10K) with these components?

  • @EthanColeman-is2nv
    @EthanColeman-is2nv18 күн бұрын

    Propeller specs?? Pretty important don’t you think

  • @TheAxebeard
    @TheAxebeard Жыл бұрын

    "Removing supports is very easy... just use this $10k industrial support removal vat.

  • @ntbarone
    @ntbarone10 ай бұрын

    I'm very new to Drones as a hobby, I mean, I've flown and crashed your typical cheap gift drone, but I'm ready to 3d Print! Would you say this drone can be used to film cinematic video or is it a tad bit too touchy? I have a few projects that would benefit from drone footage and this would be an awesome, cost effective solution to the other expensive names that I have trouble opening my wallet to. Thanks for your amazing creativity btw!

  • @nunoU2uber

    @nunoU2uber

    9 ай бұрын

    since no one replied, although my knowledge on flight controllers is shallow, im fairly sure you can soften input reaction for smoother control. also, simply put, a standard xiaomi drone still costs less than all of that (and yes you can still attach an action cam to it, the drone will just be a bit heavier and trickier to take off/land)

  • @nunoU2uber

    @nunoU2uber

    9 ай бұрын

    PS, if u search the names of the parts directly online its cheaper than the links

  • @wawifpv
    @wawifpv Жыл бұрын

    What type of material did you used to print this drone?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi there, The print material was ASA black

  • @boostliobarbell8024
    @boostliobarbell8024 Жыл бұрын

    Any other way to download the files by chance? My Outlook will not let me open them. 😬

  • @pianokid4520
    @pianokid45203 ай бұрын

    How fo I connect the VTX attnae to the board? Youneve listed any female part of it.

  • @indianafarrell4440
    @indianafarrell44404 ай бұрын

    Hey, what would you change if you had to make another one? I’m interested to hear after you guys have flown it

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    4 ай бұрын

    Great question! Right now, the range is good, but it could be better. So, we would probably change the batteries from li-po to li-ion batteries for the energy density. That would enable longer range flights!

  • @zrizzy6958
    @zrizzy69584 ай бұрын

    Do I have to use ultrasound bath, I don't have a one and I guess most won't

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Ай бұрын

    No, in this case that was the method for the specific materials we were using in our print. Whatever best practice you have for cleaning and removing support material is fine.

  • @relentlessdroning5835
    @relentlessdroning5835 Жыл бұрын

    so what happens when a wind gust blows you into an obstacle, and you snap an arm ? you'll have to wait another day to reprint the whole thing ?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    Depending on the type pf breakage there may be other options like glue epoxy or some other mechanical repair. If you find that repair is frequent we can always go back to solidworks and redesign the frame to make the part repairable without printing the whole frame.

  • @relentlessdroning5835

    @relentlessdroning5835

    Жыл бұрын

    for PETG superglue (locktite 401) seems to do the trick. But only if its a single break, not shattered to many little pieces. And obviously, if you collect all the pieces (not always the case if you fly into a tree :))

  • @bcphotographer

    @bcphotographer

    Жыл бұрын

    I would just pre-print an extra set, and have a full spare with me.....

  • @shadyfett7274
    @shadyfett7274 Жыл бұрын

    Any way to slice it down to print on a 230×230 in pla?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    You could certainly load these files into CAD and cut them up for a smaller printer. Your results may vary depending on how you cut and join the printed bodies. Additionally PLA is not as strong as the ABS so there may be some design considerations that need to be looked into

  • @ninagisler5643
    @ninagisler56439 ай бұрын

    How did you connect your drone to a remote?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    4 ай бұрын

    The electronics were all part of a kit so it had an appropriate radio set up that can be paired to a remote.

  • @SerDerpALot2015
    @SerDerpALot2015 Жыл бұрын

    How would you compare it to store bought drones in the 400/500 price range?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    Hello There! While this drone would have less software features then a store bought drone at comparable price, it is capable of lifting more with a longer flight time as well as having a longer range on the transmitter. By using 3D printing. it is possible to create a design that fits the application that one is trying to do without compromise. Thanks!

  • @TorontoFPV

    @TorontoFPV

    Жыл бұрын

    @@goengineer how much does it weigh?

  • @xshoudenx

    @xshoudenx

    Жыл бұрын

    @@TorontoFPV This. How much does it weigh? What are the flight characteristics of a 3d printer drone frame versus carbon fiber? Should send this to Chris Rosser and let him have an examination at it. :)

  • @TorontoFPV

    @TorontoFPV

    Жыл бұрын

    @xshoudenx it looks like it flies pretty decent! Honestly Chris uses his knowledge as leverage to sell his products.

  • @fl4yd
    @fl4yd6 ай бұрын

    Can i use an F405 fc&esc for this build?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    5 ай бұрын

    I am not entirely certain what you are asking here

  • @Ahmed-pp1pe
    @Ahmed-pp1pe6 ай бұрын

    What engineering major is very close related to these projects?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    6 ай бұрын

    I would not say specifically any one, but there are electrical and mechanical components to these builds.

  • @mehmedcavas3069
    @mehmedcavas30699 ай бұрын

    Can I also print the drone propellers

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    8 ай бұрын

    Certainly, the material and surface finish are probably important factors

  • @noodlery7034
    @noodlery7034 Жыл бұрын

    Couldn't the body be made with different parts and screws?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    It certainly could, this is just one possible design.

  • @lacuevitadeltejon5688
    @lacuevitadeltejon56885 ай бұрын

    Where can buy the stl?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    5 ай бұрын

    You can find links for the drone body and components lid in the description of the video. They're both free, so you don't have to buy them!

  • @christopheryeshulas4870
    @christopheryeshulas4870 Жыл бұрын

    Can you give us some assistance? We bought all of the components listed, and we have power to the components but we cannot connect to the speedy bee app. We are at a loss as to how to communicate with the components to get them to function.

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi, sorry to hear you are having trouble. Are you able to connect to the speedy bee flight stack via usb C using beta flight configurator? If that works, I would recommend double checking if you have the right flight controller in speedy bee app selected and Bluetooth is enabled. If that is correct, I would try using another phone to try and connect. If those steps don’t work, can you share a picture of your wiring with the USB plugged in? Best of luck and keep us updated so we can help!

  • @christopheryeshulas4870

    @christopheryeshulas4870

    Жыл бұрын

    @@goengineer drive.google.com/file/d/1di-psXeuXNP3QCO1Y6cud5KOzAnylniY/view?usp=sharing

  • @christopheryeshulas4870

    @christopheryeshulas4870

    Жыл бұрын

    @@goengineer drive.google.com/file/d/1RXDua0llK0PrReKItobhRrX80KLpM2JK/view?usp=sharing

  • @ugonnaumeh2259
    @ugonnaumeh2259 Жыл бұрын

    where the blades also 3d printed

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    No the rotor blades in this case came with the motor assembly.

  • @ThunderFarter
    @ThunderFarter Жыл бұрын

    Wait I don't get it you have 2 cameras?

  • @xXkingbeastmodeXx

    @xXkingbeastmodeXx

    Жыл бұрын

    I believe one is for recording the flight footage and the other is for the drone operator to see.

  • @otubuable1622
    @otubuable1622 Жыл бұрын

    Hey bro, how do I communicate with you, I am taking inspiration from your drone to make my final year project, how do I show you challenges I am facing and hopefully you can help

  • @otubuable1622

    @otubuable1622

    Жыл бұрын

    A reply would be nice

  • @rhysezfpv
    @rhysezfpv Жыл бұрын

    Geez your printer looks expensive. Can I do such prints with 3D printers I can buy from Amazon website ?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    The printers used here are industrial grade printers. You could use consumer grade printers to build these models, your support structures maybe different or you might have to cut the model to fit those printers as they tend to be smaller.

  • @ponkievorster5039
    @ponkievorster5039 Жыл бұрын

    im designing a drone with 4×2hp motors and a 192ah battery pack the tosp wwight will be something like 10kg or 20lbs for u americans and dont know what size prop to use im think of making one from steel 2mm sheetmetal with 12 blades

  • @ogfit5448

    @ogfit5448

    Жыл бұрын

    Where do you get your motors from? I'm learning to use an arduino uno board with some small stepper motors for some drone proto-types but I'm interested in the hardware choice you use for larger models.

  • @JohnDoe-rr8uf
    @JohnDoe-rr8uf Жыл бұрын

    Why would you 3D print the main body not lying down? Seems like a massive waste of both time and filament.

  • @bennyjohn205

    @bennyjohn205

    Жыл бұрын

    for strength. and its still printing the same amount either way you print it....

  • @bennyjohn205

    @bennyjohn205

    Жыл бұрын

    did you not see that if he laid it flat it would be bigger than the plate? you can tell its too big as soon as he shows the cad drawing of it standing up in down. That's the reason he put it in vertical orientation other than horizontal. Hes able to print all his pieces at 1 time! If it did fit flat, that would be the only thing he'd be able to print.

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    Just as Benny said here, this was done so we could print all of the parts at once

  • @bennyjohn205

    @bennyjohn205

    Жыл бұрын

    @@goengineer he has never used ultimaker cura or anything of the sort. Just saying shit to say shit like most people. 🤦🏻‍♂️

  • @laurancemunetsi8126
    @laurancemunetsi8126 Жыл бұрын

    Can i have the files

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    Links are in the description

  • @ShwarzBelij
    @ShwarzBelij Жыл бұрын

    Для 3д печати, плоские и тем более широкие лучи - так себе идея. Широкие лучи, когда они ниже винта - создают сопротивление направленному вниз потоку воздуха. Для модели 3д лучше сделать более толстые но узкие лучи, например в виде трубы (в которую еще можно спрятать провода), узкие лучи - меньше сопротивления воздуха - больше подъемной силы и скорости - к тому же, лучи будут более прочными с таким же расходом пластика.

  • @FATSNAIL-FPV
    @FATSNAIL-FPV Жыл бұрын

    So yeah, almost no one has a printer like that..,.. Would be interesting to see this printed on a FDM printer, my ASA prints on my printer usualy have to much flex in the frame arms..... not usable for a drone.

  • @drakonmotredos9607

    @drakonmotredos9607

    10 ай бұрын

    That is an fdm printer... I think it's an idex and even those aren't too uncommon, but dual extruders are unnecessary for this application anyway.

  • @Muddybagclean
    @Muddybagclean10 ай бұрын

    Jesus Loves You

  • @SplitPhotography
    @SplitPhotography Жыл бұрын

    Oh no 🙈 Why on earth would you print this standing up? Will be very weak... The parts you want strong (the arms) would be 10x stronger printing it laying down. Also why so freaking much support on the motor arm? You shouldn't even need it there..

  • @AntiViGames
    @AntiViGames Жыл бұрын

    With a tiny bit more thought put into the modeling this all could have been printed flat without any support material... The fact that you have these expensive machines and you don't know how to do this properly is baffling to me... The end result is neat just not the way you got there.

  • @JohanFasth

    @JohanFasth

    Жыл бұрын

    It's probably because it wont fit on the build plate laying down. I agree that it has to be redesigned so that it can be printed flat in two or more pieces instead.

  • @AntiViGames

    @AntiViGames

    Жыл бұрын

    @@JohanFasth If it did fit it certainly would have been a close fit but regardless of that it could have been designed so it would fit. It could have easily been split up into 4 arms, the square body and the curved cover in order to fit everything and print it all without any support material or even expensive printers like this one.

  • @JohanFasth

    @JohanFasth

    Жыл бұрын

    @@AntiViGames Just what I said then... ;)

  • @erickvega2631

    @erickvega2631

    Жыл бұрын

    The professional engineering truth (not hobby) is you do not want the engineer to spend the time and resources to become a 3D printing expert. These seriously overpriced machines are made so the design concept is proven quickly instead of forcing you to design for the printer. I would say the fact he could throw in a print like that with successful testing is a feature.

  • @relentlessdroning5835

    @relentlessdroning5835

    Жыл бұрын

    @@erickvega2631 in real world there is also a concept called "design for manufacturing" :) you don't just design something, you design it so it is cost, time and labour efficient. And I agree with the original comment about arms strength vs layer direction of the print.

  • @TheCANhunter
    @TheCANhunter Жыл бұрын

    40-50 minute flight time? I'm highly skeptical...I'd be willing to bet around 18 minutes with that configuration

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Жыл бұрын

    The Flight time is very dependent on the type of flying your are doing. In this case we have not done any practical testing of the absolute limits, however we have had it in the air for 30+ mins doing slow and gentle cinematic photography. We have also run the battery down in about 20 mins doing higher speed acrobatics. Battery condition also degrades over time so fresh batteries and conservative flying should allow for a very long flight time.

  • @smoothe14
    @smoothe14Ай бұрын

    Is this video a psyop?

  • @goengineer

    @goengineer

    Ай бұрын

    it is not

  • @jonahwestrich6930
    @jonahwestrich6930 Жыл бұрын

    All this hassle and 100x more advanced DJI drones are only $800 at Walmart!

  • @meanman6992

    @meanman6992

    2 ай бұрын

    Because it’s not nearly $800 to build, that’s a lot of money to most people.

  • @Hood.Housekeeping

    @Hood.Housekeeping

    22 күн бұрын

    Yea but this is a black op drone. You don’t have to send dji a birth certificate and blood sample a let them know everyone you fly, you can fly it off grid and it’ll fly in the no fly zones when the apocalypse commences.