Aviation CAD TechNotes

3D Printing: P-51 Tailwheel:

I’m back after a few months dealing with a difficult period of my life. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those that stepped up to the challenge and supported me through this time.

Many moons ago I developed a series of CAD models for the P-51 Mustang Tailwheel mechanism initially to study the mechanical operations and also to clarify an otherwise obscure area that is not clearly defined on the NAA drawings.

At the beginning of 2021 I had the good fortune to obtain an Elegoo Mars pro 3D printer which just sat in the cupboard until now. Getting my life back on track I unboxed this and setup for my first print which invariably had to be one the many CAD models from my research. The part selected is the Housing for the Tailwheel spindle. Part # 73-34004.

These parts are accurately modeled from the NAA drawings so I was unsure how well they would print at 1:4 scale particularly the thin wall elements.

The first image shows the preparation using the Lychee Slicer program with the layers set to 0.05mm. I added a generous amount of supports to maintain the print integrity using the Auto support feature with a few manually added for good measure. The Resin I used was the Elegoo Water Washable Green which has worked very well. I am rather pleased with this print as I had read many horror stories of problems that folks encountered with this type of immersive printing which made me a tad anxious before I eventually decided to take the plunge.

This printer is capable of printing with a layer height of only 0.02mm which is quite extraordinary but as it took 4 hours to print this model at 0.05mm I doubt if I will venture to printing at a finer pitch as the time would be excessive. I don’t plan to print all the Tailwheel components as my budget for resin is limited but I will print a few more to determine the limitations; if any; of resin 3d printing.

Talking about the future I should note that I am currently sourcing new material for the P-51 Mustang and hopefully to start a brand new project for the F7F Tigercat.

If you are interested in the Tailwheel models check out the bottom section of this post for details.

On a personal note it is good to be back working on these projects and please do not hesitate to comment or drop me a line with any queries. hughtechnotes@gmail.com.