EDUstick® Creators Club
Airplane on a Stand
Build a three-dimensional PLA display airplane: a filled fuselage made from two profiles, horizontal wings, a vertical tail, and a rigid stand. Choosing your own colors and comparing both sides help you practise symmetry.
Your outcome: Learn to position parts symmetrically in three dimensions.
Illustration of the finished construction. Full-size (1:1) templates are supplied on a separate sheet.
Session pracownia • stage 1/8
Two sides and a frame
After preparing the templates, make two fuselage profiles in sequence: trace the outline and thickened marks, each in 2 layers. Leave the areas empty. Then make one frame: join two crossbars of 4 adjacent strands each with a long double line and repeat the second layer.
Cool each part for 30–60 s until rigid before clearing the area for the next template.
Check: Two identical profiles and one joined frame, 3 parts in total.
If it does not work: Fill gaps with PLA while flat, then cool again.
Frame with crossbars
Left fuselage profile · Right fuselage profile · Frame with two crossbars
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session pracownia • stage 2/8
Build the three-dimensional fuselage
Lay the left profile flat. Position the frame perpendicular to it: both ends of the crossbars touch the thickened marks halfway up the profile. The helper holds the cool end of the frame. Add short welds on both sides of both joints. Let them cool.
Place the second profile on the free ends of the crossbars, with its nose pointing in the same direction. The helper holds its cool ends; join and cool it in the same way.
Check: Profiles parallel, outer width about 10 mm; both ends aligned and the frame rigid.
If it does not work: Correct the position before welding. Support a loose joint, add PLA, and let it cool.
1 × Frame welds—left side; 1 × Frame welds—right side · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T003 • Techniques — reference appendix
Second side and complete frame
Left fuselage profile · Frame with two crossbars · Frame welds—left side · Right fuselage profile · Frame welds—right side
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session pracownia • stage 3/8
Fill and close the fuselage
Fill the upper side with adjacent lines from outline to outline, in 2 layers. Let it cool and turn the fuselage onto the solid side; fill the other side in the same way. Place the cool fuselage with its underside down. Close the spine with short bridges across the 8 mm width: each one joins both sides and the previous strand.
Work from nose to tail, waiting a few seconds between strands. Let it cool, turn it over, and close the underside in the same way while the helper holds the cool nose and tail. Choose colors for the skin.
Check: Solid sides, spine, and underside form a rigid, narrow solid; the central underside is straight.
If it does not work: If a strand sags, stop and let it cool. Rest the next segment on both rigid edges and the previous line.
Closed underside
Right fuselage profile · Left fuselage profile
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session pracownia • stage 4/8
Your own wing and tail colors
Make two identical wings in sequence: trace the outline in 2 layers, then add adjacent fill lines in both layers, for a total thickness of about 2 mm. Start with the half by the straight root, then fill the tip. Repeat your chosen color pattern.
Make the stabilizer with its sloping base: trace the outline and fill it completely, also in 2 layers. Cool the parts flat until rigid.
Check: Two identical solid wings and one solid stabilizer, with no warping or loose strands.
If it does not work: Fill the gap while the part is flat. Do not bend soft or cool parts.
Stabilizer
Left wing · Right wing · Vertical stabilizer
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session pracownia • stage 5/8
Wings level, tail vertical
Rest the fuselage on its underside. Position the left root horizontally, 6 mm above the fuselage's lower line, with its front 25 mm behind the nose. The helper holds the cool end of the wing. Add tacks at the front and back, let them cool, then connect them with a 31 mm weld above and below the root.
Rotate the entire cool assembly to reach the underside. Attach the right wing in the same way, at the same height and distance from the nose. Position the tail's sloping base in the center of the spine; the helper holds the cool top vertically. Add welds on both sides. Cool every joint while supported.
Check: The wings are at the same height and extend equally; the stabilizer is vertical and all joints remain still.
If it does not work: Compare the alignment before welding. Support loose joints and add material. Do not force a permanently crooked joint straight.
Vertical tail
Left wing · Root welds—left wing · Right wing · Root welds—right wing · Vertical stabilizer · Stabilizer welds
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session pracownia • stage 6/8
Build the rigid stand
Set the cool airplane aside. Make the base and support in sequence: trace the outline and fill tightly with adjacent lines, each in 3 layers of about 1 mm. Cool them flat. Position the support vertically in the center of the oval, with its wider foot along the long axis.
The helper holds the cool top; add a 28 mm weld on each side of the foot. Rotate the base to reach the other side. Cool until rigid.
Check: Base flat; the stand remains upright by itself, and the support does not wobble.
If it does not work: Hold it vertically, add material to the loose weld, and cool it again.
Assembled stand
Stand base · Short support · Support-foot welds
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session pracownia • stage 7/8
Mount the airplane on the stand
Place the stand flat. Rest the central underside of the fuselage along the entire top edge of the support: on the fuselage centerline, beneath the wing roots. The helper holds the cool nose and rear, keeping the wings level. From the side, below the wings, add a 24 mm weld joining the underside to the support. Let it cool while held.
Move to the other side and add the second weld. Wait until both welds are fully rigid; only then release slowly.
Check: The fuselage rests on the support and the base is flat; after release, the airplane does not tilt.
If it does not work: Do not release your grip while the weld is soft. Support a loose joint, add PLA, and let it cool.
1 × Fuselage welds on the support · PLA | template follow the written method
→ T011 • Techniques — reference appendix
Second side
Left fuselage profile · Short support · Fuselage welds on the support
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Session pracownia • stage 8/8
Check and display
On a level tabletop, remove your hands for 10 seconds. Use a ruler to compare the heights of both wingtips above the tabletop; they should be equal. Look from above and compare how far they extend on both sides of the fuselage. Check that the tail is vertical and the welds remain still. Choose a place for your display model.
Do not throw it or try to fly it.
Check: The model stands by itself, the wings are symmetrical, and the tail is vertical; nothing wobbles.
If it does not work: Support a loose part while adding material to the weld. If a joint is permanently crooked, stop and ask for help; do not bend the PLA.
Front check
Complete model — all previously made parts
Blue / dark emphasis: the part used in this action. Arrows: visual guides. Illustration not to scale.
Finished model
View 1
Compare your model with the illustration.
Finished model
View 2
Compare your model with the illustration.
