AG Silpheed

As a designer, I wanted to tackle on a miniquad frame design that showed a REASON to be printed. I didn't want a printed frame to be a choice because "it's cheaper" or "it's free"... but show the qualities of the medium to propel a design idea. If I did my job right, someone may want to proudly choose and fly a printed frame (over carbon fiber) because they like how it looks or how it performs.

I've been building/modding/flying miniquads for over a year now. When I started getting into 3D printing, I wanted to print a frame. There were many to choose from, but I was disappointed. Mostly all of them just took their design cues from the carbon fiber brothers. Flat plates with standoffs.

Hands down the best printed miniquad innovation comes from Hovership, their MHQ2. A great achievement and vision for a printed miniquad frame. Check their frame out http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:511668

The inspiration for the AG Silpheed frame came from several sources. Firstly, The Zelda Triforce was a huge inspiration for design. The first prototypes used a lot of circles and curves. The first crash led to my arms completely snapping off (stripping the motors from their wires) and the entire frame just got obliterated. On research, the triangle is a strong geometric shape. This led to the design choice of the arms being triangular tubes... and inside it, are more triangles. (the power of the Triforce!) The second inspiration was from roll cages of off-road buggies. The top frame of the AG Silpheed is essentially a big rollcage. It is designed to distribute the forces on an impact - while keeping all the electronics safe.

I have many carbon fiber miniquads in my fleet... but what I like about building and flying a printed frame is that it is continually improved. After every race session or a prox flight in the park, I come home with some new design changes... print them, and they are ready to be installed for the next session. And yes, a broken arm means a cheap repair. (can't dispute that printed frames do cost less)

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1. The PARTS LIST and BUILD directions are located at: http://anthonykwon.com/portfolio/silpheed/

2. CMIX Setup directions are located at:
   http://anthonykwon.com/setting-up-cmix/

3. EXTRA Build tips and tricks:
   http://anthonykwon.com/extra-build-tips/

4. Best PDB to use with the Silpheed:
   http://genixrc.com/product/phoenix-pdb/

5. Print a GoPro armour to mount on your Silpheed
   http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1259143

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More to come as they are made. Keep checking back to see the current updates.