obious Member

Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: London Posts: 347

AV-8B N/A UFC - 3D Printed



Long story short, after buying a 3D printer over Christmas I thought I'd get to grips with how to generally design things and how to print them. I've learnt over the past 3-4 weeks that my 3D printer (Anycubic Chiron) can be a cruel mistress and be very unforgiving.



Before I tackle the F-18's UFC which is my main aim, I thought I'd have a go at the AV-8B NA UFC and see how far I get.

I know Brun has designed a UFC, and as great as it is, I've struggled printing it at home. I've printed it 5-6 times with various Cura settings and each time I'm not happy with the results. I think one of the main issues I've found is that it has to be printed with supports. Its worth noting that I bought it off Shapeways about a year ago and have been using it ever since then, it truly is a great bit of CAD.



From the images, it's pretty clear to see my progress; I fly mainly in VR so I don't have much use for panels etc to be back lit.



All the components (UFC housing, UFC itself, R & L cautionary panels, buttons & HUD control panel) are separate and can be easily printed without the need for supports.

I've decided to create and use my own buttons as I like the feel of 6mm tactile switches, it makes the designing process easier when trying to avoid printing with supports and I also think it makes for a more life-like reproduction (aesthetically). I've managed to find someone on eBay who's printed the UFC button stickers for me so I didn't have to create 25+ individual buttons which I think will be a real time saver. All other hardware that this is designed to be used with (toggle switches, rotary knobs and pots are standard off-the-shelf eBay stuff so they should be very easy to acquire



I'm planning on sharing the STLs once I've added a few finishing touches but wanted to share it here to get any feedback prior to publishing.



Anyhow, let me know what you think!















Av8B UFC Complete.zip



Thanks! Hi All,Long story short, after buying a 3D printer over Christmas I thought I'd get to grips with how to generally design things and how to print them. I've learnt over the past 3-4 weeks that my 3D printer (Anycubic Chiron) can be a cruel mistress and be very unforgiving.Before I tackle the F-18's UFC which is my main aim, I thought I'd have a go at the AV-8B NA UFC and see how far I get.I know Brun has designed a UFC, and as great as it is, I've struggled printing it at home. I've printed it 5-6 times with various Cura settings and each time I'm not happy with the results. I think one of the main issues I've found is that it has to be printed with supports. Its worth noting that I bought it off Shapeways about a year ago and have been using it ever since then, it truly is a great bit of CAD.From the images, it's pretty clear to see my progress; I fly mainly in VR so I don't have much use for panels etc to be back lit.All the components (UFC housing, UFC itself, R & L cautionary panels, buttons & HUD control panel) are separate and can be easily printed without the need for supports.I've decided to create and use my own buttons as I like the feel of 6mm tactile switches, it makes the designing process easier when trying to avoid printing with supports and I also think it makes for a more life-like reproduction (aesthetically). I've managed to find someone on eBay who's printed the UFC button stickers for me so I didn't have to create 25+ individual buttons which I think will be a real time saver. All other hardware that this is designed to be used with (toggle switches, rotary knobs and pots are standard off-the-shelf eBay stuff so they should be very easy to acquireI'm planning on sharing the STLs once I've added a few finishing touches but wanted to share it here to get any feedback prior to publishing.Anyhow, let me know what you think!Thanks! __________________

Asus Rampage IV Extreme - Intel 3930K @ 4.6Ghz - Zotac GTX 1080TI - Corsair Dominator Platinum 2400Mhz 16GB RAM - Samsung 860 Evo SSD - Thrustmaster Warthog & F-18 stick, Pendular Rudder Pedals - HP Reverb Last edited by obious; 04-25-2020 at 12:26 PM .