Chris,
We were looking at STC for Cert aircraft - using 3D printing as a manufacturing
method. The cost was very high (even with our own printer). Making new or
replacing
old saggy panel coamings and adaptable panel fascias (in ABS or PETG)
is possible for experimental aircraft though.
My Europa panel is one-piece and the single biggest regret in 11 years of
ownership
is not making a segmented version of the panel.
Printing ribs and stand-off (plus all the mounting holes, etc) means you gain a
great deal of stiffness and the end result has a lower mass. Being able to add
depth (both fwd and aft of the panel baseline datum) is a bonus - especially
if you are fitting deep avionics (like an SL30 which stick out of the centre
panel by about an inch.
As I now have a panel layout I like (mainly steam but with 2 off D10A) I will
make
3D printed panel sections ready for retrofit.
Some info on the material others are using would be useful to the group.
--------
John Wighton
Europa XS trigear G-IPOD
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