I’ve been working on a custom long-range UAV, inspired by the MQ-9 Reaper, designed for ArduPilot missions. The entire fuselage is 3D printed, about 90cm long, with a 200cm wingspan (each wing is 90cm). It has a stabilized gimbal for aerial imaging and is optimized for long endurance flights.
Still tweaking things, but I’m excited to see how it performs! Let me know what you think—any tips for maximizing range and stability? Or any equipment I should add?
Why 3D printing? Wouldn’t that make it really heavy?
Foster said:
Why 3D printing? Wouldn’t that make it really heavy?
Mainly because it’s what I’m good at.
Since I’m using ABS and keeping the structure mostly hollow (2mm skin thickness), all the printed parts should weigh around 1-1.2kg. The total weight, including two 4S 9000mAh batteries, should be around 3.5-4kg.
@Casey
Have you thought about using an ‘air’ or ‘aero’ PLA? Might help reduce weight. I don’t think ABS vs PLA makes a huge difference for normal flight or crashes.
Foster said:
@Casey
Have you thought about using an ‘air’ or ‘aero’ PLA? Might help reduce weight. I don’t think ABS vs PLA makes a huge difference for normal flight or crashes.
Yeah, I’ve experimented with it, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a few reasons:
But thanks for the suggestion! I might use it for some internal parts where weight savings could help.
@Casey
Looks awesome!
Have you considered 3D printing a mold and making the shells out of carbon fiber? That would cut down a lot on weight.
Micah said:
@Casey
Looks awesome!
Have you considered 3D printing a mold and making the shells out of carbon fiber? That would cut down a lot on weight.
Yeah, I’ve thought about it and might do that in the future. The main issue is the cost of carbon fiber! If you’re interested, Easy Composites has some great videos on the process.
@Casey
I use their stuff too, not for drones but other machines.
Their kits are great, and yeah, carbon fiber is expensive. But compared to reinforced filament spools, the price difference isn’t as big as you’d think.
@Casey
I haven’t tried it for flight, but I do like the color and transparency options of ‘Lite’ PLA. After handling it, though, I’d agree—it’s not great for something like this. Maybe for non-structural parts.
Fly it around NJ and let’s watch Facebook lose its mind again.
Robin said:
Fly it around NJ and let’s watch Facebook lose its mind again.
I swear, this time it’s actually gonna be aliens flying around! 
I grew up in an RC hobby shop family. Look into coroplast construction—it’s nearly indestructible and weighs next to nothing. Also, check how trainer RC planes attach their wings. Some just use rubber bands, which is simple but effective.
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to see a video of it in action!
Looks great! You could probably shorten the ailerons unless you need really slow flight.
Flint said:
Looks great! You could probably shorten the ailerons unless you need really slow flight.
Everything except the fuselage is still a work in progress, so I’ll definitely look into that!
Flint said:
Looks great! You could probably shorten the ailerons unless you need really slow flight.
I’ve never seen the word ‘aileron’ before today.
Flint said:
Looks great! You could probably shorten the ailerons unless you need really slow flight.
I’ve never seen the word ‘aileron’ before today.
It’s a French word—same as fuselage and decalage. A lot of aircraft terms come from French.
Flint said:
Looks great! You could probably shorten the ailerons unless you need really slow flight.
I’ve never seen the word ‘aileron’ before today.
Curious, what did you call them before?
@Thorn
I’m totally new to aviation, so I just jokingly called them ‘rudders’ before today.
