Makezine Towel RC Plane

Credit: Makezine.com

Here are some pictures from the construction of an idea found in Makezine – The Towel – a radio controlled flying wing. This is a proof of concept, seeing how 3D printing and our CNC machine can be used in various phases of construction.


Used the Laguna IQ One CNC machine to create the deck. The shape was drawn in Adobe Illustrator and then imported into Vectric V-Carve Pro to create machine paths.
This deck is where the motor mount, ESC and servos attach. Added holes to lightweight the structure using 4mm ply. This is V1. V2 had more holes. Edges were chamfered for aerodynamics and light-weighting.

Below, you see V2 with more holes. Fins are glued to wood deck for strength.

The video below shows the process of creating the pockets for the servos.

Servo sitting snug in its pocket.

Below you can see the 3D printed motor mount. Started off as a shared file on Thingiverse. (Thanks Thingiverse user garethrv.) Then it was edited in Sketchup and printed out. 

Will it fly? Almost ready to go.