Spookyeng
User
Hello Guys,
New to this forum and excited to find it! As I have been reading over the forum posts the last few days, there are a lot of great and very smart people here with like minded interests, which is really cool. I hope that I might be able to contribute is some way and add a little value as we get to know each other and share ideas and thoughts. I have the same username here that I have on most of the other forums, so you can see more about me on those, but a very brief intro.
My name is Jason Smith and I live in Meridian, ID and I am retired USAF Flight Engineer and currently a Flight Performance Model (FPM) Software Test Engineer. While that sounds all fancy and stuff, it actually is not. I am basically doing what I did in the Military, I run Flight Performance Charts to test how the manual charts have been digitized and that coding for all calculations is working correctly. The FPM is an "under the hood tool" in the Mission Planning Environment (MPE). The MPE uses the FPM to output flight performance data to the flight crews for mission planning. Enough about profession!
When it come to the hobby, I have been involved with the flying side since 2004 and have build and flown helicopters and airplanes of many shapes and sizes, from 700-800 size pod and boom and scale helicopters to large 250cc radial engine aircraft. However, I have always been fascinated with the glider/sailplane side and recently, within the past couple of years, purchased my first glider which was a FMS 3m Fox and recently had a TM 2.75m Albatross. I enjoyed both of those for what they are and each had its own flying characteristics. One flew close to a sailplane and one flew more like a airplane! Anyway, while waiting on the TM Ventus to come back in stock, I just ordered the TM Samsara from Aloft and looking forward to getting it. I might post a few things about it, but there is already a very good thread that documents it, not sure I would add a lot of value. I do see some opportunities to redesign and improve few things though!
Why choose my first post in this sub-forum? Well, because this is the area I am particularly passionate about, design and manufacturing. There is also some great threads in this sub-forum and the projects are really cool. I am no expert by any means and all self taught and I have tons more to learn. I design in 2D using Draftsight and 3D in Solidworks. I have also been extremely fortunate to be able to purchase equipment over the years. I am now on my third laser cutter, upgraded a little at a time over the past 10 years, and its FSL PS48 with a 48" x 36" area with a 150W laser tube. I am still in the process of setting this up, but have been able to do some test cuts this past week and its going to be an awesome unit. Still waiting on the fume extractor to really get going.
For the CNC Router I am running a Stepcraft 840 with a bed size of 36" x 24" and this is great for cutting G10, Carbon Fiber, and thicker MDF and Plywood.
I started with 3D printing around the time I purchased the FMS Fox Glider and it has opened up a whole new world to me. I am still on my first FDM printer and its an older Craftbot 3 and I use a STATPRO Dry Cabinet to keep the PETG dry and results consistent. Actually PETG is the only material I print. I feel it has the best compromise between printability, strength and heat durability for our models. In the last six months I decided to purchase my first Resin printer, Anycubic Photon Mono SE, and its certainly a learning curve, but getting good results with it. Small format, but its all I need for now.
Please understand, I am not showing all this to brag or say "look at what I have", I have been extremely fortunate to be able to purchase these units and humbled to have them, I mean that sincerely. It took me a long time to save up for them and each has helped me learn and expand my design projects. The only things I have designed for gliders or sailplanes was a transport/setup stand and streamlined servo covers for my 3m Fox glider which I did post on RCG. I hope to be able to design more items for my Samsara if needed and in the future, I really would like to start designing and scratch building by own sailplanes, both vintage wood structure and composite. I am just passionate about this stuff and love to design and build more than flying, honestly.
If I can help with any project you have, where you might not have the capacity in either design or manufacturing, please don't hesitate to reach out. If I don't know it or have not done it before I will let you know, but always fun to learn and share with each other. I know I was excited to find this forum and looking forward to learning from you guys! Its a small hobby and we need to help each other when we can! Thanks for the opportunity to introduce myself and share a little bit. Thanks and talk soon.
Jason
New to this forum and excited to find it! As I have been reading over the forum posts the last few days, there are a lot of great and very smart people here with like minded interests, which is really cool. I hope that I might be able to contribute is some way and add a little value as we get to know each other and share ideas and thoughts. I have the same username here that I have on most of the other forums, so you can see more about me on those, but a very brief intro.
My name is Jason Smith and I live in Meridian, ID and I am retired USAF Flight Engineer and currently a Flight Performance Model (FPM) Software Test Engineer. While that sounds all fancy and stuff, it actually is not. I am basically doing what I did in the Military, I run Flight Performance Charts to test how the manual charts have been digitized and that coding for all calculations is working correctly. The FPM is an "under the hood tool" in the Mission Planning Environment (MPE). The MPE uses the FPM to output flight performance data to the flight crews for mission planning. Enough about profession!
When it come to the hobby, I have been involved with the flying side since 2004 and have build and flown helicopters and airplanes of many shapes and sizes, from 700-800 size pod and boom and scale helicopters to large 250cc radial engine aircraft. However, I have always been fascinated with the glider/sailplane side and recently, within the past couple of years, purchased my first glider which was a FMS 3m Fox and recently had a TM 2.75m Albatross. I enjoyed both of those for what they are and each had its own flying characteristics. One flew close to a sailplane and one flew more like a airplane! Anyway, while waiting on the TM Ventus to come back in stock, I just ordered the TM Samsara from Aloft and looking forward to getting it. I might post a few things about it, but there is already a very good thread that documents it, not sure I would add a lot of value. I do see some opportunities to redesign and improve few things though!
Why choose my first post in this sub-forum? Well, because this is the area I am particularly passionate about, design and manufacturing. There is also some great threads in this sub-forum and the projects are really cool. I am no expert by any means and all self taught and I have tons more to learn. I design in 2D using Draftsight and 3D in Solidworks. I have also been extremely fortunate to be able to purchase equipment over the years. I am now on my third laser cutter, upgraded a little at a time over the past 10 years, and its FSL PS48 with a 48" x 36" area with a 150W laser tube. I am still in the process of setting this up, but have been able to do some test cuts this past week and its going to be an awesome unit. Still waiting on the fume extractor to really get going.
For the CNC Router I am running a Stepcraft 840 with a bed size of 36" x 24" and this is great for cutting G10, Carbon Fiber, and thicker MDF and Plywood.
I started with 3D printing around the time I purchased the FMS Fox Glider and it has opened up a whole new world to me. I am still on my first FDM printer and its an older Craftbot 3 and I use a STATPRO Dry Cabinet to keep the PETG dry and results consistent. Actually PETG is the only material I print. I feel it has the best compromise between printability, strength and heat durability for our models. In the last six months I decided to purchase my first Resin printer, Anycubic Photon Mono SE, and its certainly a learning curve, but getting good results with it. Small format, but its all I need for now.
Please understand, I am not showing all this to brag or say "look at what I have", I have been extremely fortunate to be able to purchase these units and humbled to have them, I mean that sincerely. It took me a long time to save up for them and each has helped me learn and expand my design projects. The only things I have designed for gliders or sailplanes was a transport/setup stand and streamlined servo covers for my 3m Fox glider which I did post on RCG. I hope to be able to design more items for my Samsara if needed and in the future, I really would like to start designing and scratch building by own sailplanes, both vintage wood structure and composite. I am just passionate about this stuff and love to design and build more than flying, honestly.
If I can help with any project you have, where you might not have the capacity in either design or manufacturing, please don't hesitate to reach out. If I don't know it or have not done it before I will let you know, but always fun to learn and share with each other. I know I was excited to find this forum and looking forward to learning from you guys! Its a small hobby and we need to help each other when we can! Thanks for the opportunity to introduce myself and share a little bit. Thanks and talk soon.
Jason
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The amount of time tweaking and adjusting and upgrading were endless. Ultimately it was a hobby you had to stay on top of. I thought that was the nature of at home 3D printing. I enjoyed it at the time. Then a customer started showing off his prints and I was blown away. I asked him about detailed setups and calibration processes and he simply replied that he bought the same printer as his buddy and ran it as it came from the factory! I thought he must be messing with me, but then I started reading up on his brand, Prusa. Basically Prusa is one of the key players that made FDM at home possible and he heavily invests in quality control and software refinements with calibrations for popular materials. He is always trying to make his products better. I ended up buying their new "mini" when it was announced and I have been in love with it ever since. The quality of the prints is great and it just keeps working. We seldom have to do anything with it. We ended up buying 3 more, 2 more for the shop and Chris took one home. They are constantly improving their softwares, and that is really key to any company in this category. You can't rely on some generic software application and expect trouble free 3D printing results. Also, Prusa uses a lot of 3D printed materials for their machines, I think they operate the world's largest 3D print farm, so they have a ton of experience in this area.
