Why frames are soo expensive?
- Thread starter Bimo Bimo
- Start date
For the sole purpose of keeping riff-raff out of the hobby. You can build a simple wood frame for like 10 bucks if you think pre-made frames are overly expensive.
I'm happy with the quality of the $40 550 Hexa from RCtimer: http://www.rctimer.com/product_678.html
You can buy a Quad frame on there for $12.
You can buy a Quad frame on there for $12.
Thank you for the tip.
Can you please provide a hint about the "huge list of dangers"?
probably fastest way is if you google dangers of carbon fibre or fibre glass
bensid54
Member
The dust from sanding those two can get into your lungs and cause much health related problems. The fumes from the resin for both are toxic and can overcome you very quickly without a proper respirator or a well ventilated room.
bensid54
Member
I understand a Centre of gravity or balance point is important when locating your controller to a home made frame. Weight is a big factor because that will dictate what you need for motors, props, ESC and batteries. I bought a Quad with ready made frame and used what they recommended because even though I'm passable at making my own stuff I'm too new to this end of RC to start with my own scratch build.
cbpagent72
Member
Supply and demand. Eventually as more and more companies start making multirotor aircraft the crazy prices will go down. Right now there isn't a lot of competition.
I understand the inherent health issues but somehow industry's like surfboard manufacturers and auto parts suppliers manage to keep their prices reasonable. There are many safety devices which can greatly reduce the risk of inhalation of fibers.
I willing to bet that items like carbon fiber boom tubes are bought from larger Carbon fiber manufacturers to keep costs down and the actual carbon pieces manufactured in-house is probably pretty low. Just look around if you create a design you can higher a third party company to fabricate at reasonable costs.
I do want to say that even though the prices are high. I am 100% opposed to companies (mostly in China) stealing the intellectual properties owned by companies such as Photo higher, Droidworx, and even DJI. I think everyone should avoid cloned multirotor aircraft and accessories.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
I understand the inherent health issues but somehow industry's like surfboard manufacturers and auto parts suppliers manage to keep their prices reasonable. There are many safety devices which can greatly reduce the risk of inhalation of fibers.
I willing to bet that items like carbon fiber boom tubes are bought from larger Carbon fiber manufacturers to keep costs down and the actual carbon pieces manufactured in-house is probably pretty low. Just look around if you create a design you can higher a third party company to fabricate at reasonable costs.
I do want to say that even though the prices are high. I am 100% opposed to companies (mostly in China) stealing the intellectual properties owned by companies such as Photo higher, Droidworx, and even DJI. I think everyone should avoid cloned multirotor aircraft and accessories.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
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$700-$800 for a hex 650.
I admit my ignorance.
I want to build a multirotor and I have been searching for one that I can buy a DIY kit that have all of the components and find videos showing how to do it.
Any hints are welcome.
http://www.shop.aglhobbiesllc.com/UAP2-Complete-Frame-Packages/650mm-UAP2-Hexa-Package.html
Rustys frames are simple, easy to build, very strong and probably the best starting point for anyone wanting to build their own first multirotor. they are of great quality and robust. On top of that Rusty has the best customer service around.
The frames are versatile and at a later date if you want to try another type of build you can reassemble the frame to the new format.
Dont mess around, just buy one of Rustys frames.
Rustys frames are simple, easy to build, very strong and probably the best starting point for anyone wanting to build their own first multirotor. they are of great quality and robust. On top of that Rusty has the best customer service around.
The frames are versatile and at a later date if you want to try another type of build you can reassemble the frame to the new format.
Dont mess around, just buy one of Rustys frames.
Bartman
Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
take some time and try to find a shop with a CNC router and try to get pricing for a run of carbon fiber parts. I've been at it for months and am still at a loss to find a shop that can cut multiple large sheets without trying to fund their entire retirement with my project.
i have found options but they are hard to come by. carbon fiber is extremely damaging to the mechanisms that make CNC machines work and so a lot of shops won't cut it. with the popularity of CF, the shops that will cut it are charging a premium and have very long wait times. i can go to China but a.) i'd rather not be in the business if that's what I have to do and b.) there will be clones for sale before i get my first shipment of parts for my own shop.
it's crazy, i admit it but the materials are a lot more expensive than what goes into a plane kit and it's very expensive to make a run of parts so there's got to be a mark up to justify the effort and expense.
bart
i have found options but they are hard to come by. carbon fiber is extremely damaging to the mechanisms that make CNC machines work and so a lot of shops won't cut it. with the popularity of CF, the shops that will cut it are charging a premium and have very long wait times. i can go to China but a.) i'd rather not be in the business if that's what I have to do and b.) there will be clones for sale before i get my first shipment of parts for my own shop.
it's crazy, i admit it but the materials are a lot more expensive than what goes into a plane kit and it's very expensive to make a run of parts so there's got to be a mark up to justify the effort and expense.
bart
Gary Mortimer
Member
Putting flame proof suit on. A quad is only two sticks and four motors. Things are expensive as you make them. Cutting your own frame out of plywood or using hardware store square stock works. I made a hex like this a couple of years ago, this guys thread is better http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1647291
Gary Mortimer
Member
View attachment 13286
To add to that, this chap has some lovely looking simple wood frames.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1839667
To add to that, this chap has some lovely looking simple wood frames.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1839667
Attachments
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If you are starting out then you need some crash resistance (small metal frame) but if you are experienced then you should err on the side of performance which means very light. A combination of materials goes into making something that is designed for a specific purpose. These could include foam board, balsa wood, carbon prepreg and another much overlooked product that is far cheaper than carbon is Paxolin. Paxolin is non conductive which is useful but like carbon is made with Phenolic thermosetting resin and is a known carsinogen.
Always avoid dust and fumes, actually even balsa dust is dangerous as it is explosive.
Always avoid dust and fumes, actually even balsa dust is dangerous as it is explosive.
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Bartman
Welcome to MultiRotorForums.com!!
it's true, Gary, two sticks and four motors. until there's a goal in mind then it gets more complicated. most don't want to figure it out from scratch so mass production adds more complexity, try putting two sticks and four motors into a box and see what kind of feedback you get! assembly drawings or directions, deliberate placement of holes and other details to make it user friendly, maybe some intention of generating profit from the whole endeavor, the two sticks and four motors become months of design and prototyping to get it just right.
design for one very specific purpose makes it a bit easier but then there's less utility and fewer people to appeal to. this might all be ok but if we're talking kits, there's time, effort, and expense to make it work as advertised. granted, there are some who don't design the details into their kits so you're still figuring it out for yourself and they're still charging top dollar but it should be easy enough to figure out who they are based on information found here and elsewhere.
in the end though, a hex is a hex, a quad is a quad, a fancy hex is still a hex and the flight performance will be comparable between the top and bottom if assembly isn't insanely sloppy on the low end.