2018-03-13 (Tu) Laser Cut Airplane COMPLETED

I thought it would fun to create a simple airplane model which could be reproduced on a laser cutter. The trick was that the wing would be holes in the shape of an airfoil so when the paper was put into the holes, it would maintain the airfoil shape. This way, a durable body could repeatedly be outfitted with inexpensive wings. I took the idea a step further and used CAD to determine the circumference of the wings so that a flat surface could be integrated into the plane design and used to measure the paper width when making wings. The same technique was used for the horizontal stabilizer.

The flat surface at the bottom of the plane is the same distance as the circumference of the wing hole. The flat surface at the tail of the plane is the same as the horizontal elevator circumference. Once the paper is cut and placed in the holes with the free ends toward the back of the plane, the ends should be taped together, and a piece of tape can be added to the body touching the wings and frame.

CAD view of plane parts

Adding some weight to the front is as simple as taping a loose piece of hardware to the nose. Tossing this around the office wasn’t an awe-inspiring experience but it was cut out of heavy wood and a computer screw was taped to the front. It should have been cut from something lighter, like foam-core or Styrofoam. It was a fun project for a day.

Front view after taping wings

Rear view of plane

LaserPaperPlane files

More COMPLETED project have been arranged by date.

First time here?

Completed projects from year 1.

Completed projects from year 2.

Completed projects from year 3.

Completed projects from year 4.

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2018-03-07 (X)

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