Ohio-based Flite Test team 3D printed mid-air, with the printer enduring a 30 mph crash (no one was injured)!
Flite Test, a team of RC flight enthusiasts, has turned Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon 3D printer into a flying 3D printer on an RC plane. Mounted on a custom RC plane, the Centauri Carbon successfully printed mid-air, with the plane’s fuselage itself having been 3D-printed beforehand using the same machine. The experiment, documented on Flite Test’s YouTube channel (2M+ subscribers), showcased the printer’s incredible durability after a 30 mph crash – it continued printing post-impact with only minor scratches.
The project began when Elegoo sent Flite Test the Centauri Carbon to create durable parts for RC planes. The team took it a step further, challenging the printer to print while flying. The result? A 55-second flight, reaching 100 feet (30 m) and covering 1,200 feet (366m) before crashing into a tree. Despite the impact, the Centauri Carbon remained fully functional, proving its rugged design, including an integrated die-cast aluminum frame. The fuselage, designed in the Meglacy RC plane style, was entirely 3D-printed using the Centauri Carbon, with carbon fiber rods and ABS brackets. Flite Test plans to continue using the printer for future projects, praising its reliability and performance.
Stefan Ostergren, Partnerships Manager at Flite Test, shared: “The durability of the Centauri Carbon is unbelievable! We crashed the printer going 30 miles (48km) per hour and it handled it beautifully! It continued to print even after the crash and after inspection, the only thing on the printer was a bit of dirt and a few scratches! It was still able to be cleaned up easily and worked flawlessly after all of that! We have not seen any issues or problems with the printer and we have printed multiple projects on it already! You never know, maybe we will revisit this project again in the future or try something new… all we know now is that we love the Centauri Carbon and we plan to use it for many years to come!”
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