3D Printing Nike Smoke Nosecone Build (sorta)

[frogglicker]

Update 6/30/2024: Here is the link to the most current STL files. These are advanced copies and I will publish the official files on my Printables page once I am happy with the fit and configuration.
----------------------------------
Since the release of the Nike Smoke by Estes this week, I've seen a lot of chatter including Facebook. This rocket design has become a new favorite of mine, and while I have nothing against Estes, I like building rockets from scratch, and since I only have a 3D printer and haven't yet dove into castings and forms for FG/CF, this is what I know.

In a FB discussion, I was chatting with another about not being able to find the Nike NC. Building the one for my Nike Smoke Extreme wasn't hard but it's time-consuming. No 3-in Nike Nosecones could be easily found, so I decided to just jump in and model it. That is what this thread is for. I have been modeling for a long time, and only just started 3D printing last year. I feel like I'm still a beginner though I have spent a king's ransom on filament.

I pulled the openrocket sim up for the Nike Smoke Extreme and scaled the nosecone up by ~193%. This is gonna be beastly. Here is the rough, first draft of that:


With the shoulder, it's going to be 569mm tall. That's a lot of plastic!

I will have to come up with a way to split this. I have some designs that I have done before that should work fine. My concern is that I wanted to mount the AVbay in the nosecone as well, so that's just more plastic. It is very preliminary, but I'm gonna do it. I might need to put a 54mm MMT just so I can get this thing over 1000 feet. That's tomorrow's problem.

More to come...

 

[frogglicker]

Nike Smoke Power Series, 3-in Nosecone V0.1::whew:: is in the hopper. This weekend, I will print this out, get it assembled, and provide some feedback. You are free to do the same. I don't know what settings I will use but it will probably be something like:

• PETG
• 0.4 nozzle
• 0.2 resolution
• 250/70C noz/bed
• 4-5 walls
• 25-35% infill

The idea is to work from the top, using a 15 -30-minute epoxy in the joints. Sand them up first and get them rough, then get them sticky and stuck together. Then, slather laminating epoxy (West Systems, Botal Tote, etc) on the inside. Let it cure. Hope this works without making it heavier than the rest of the rocket.

DISCLAIMER: I have no idea if these even fit let alone are worthy of being added to a rocket. You may have a look, use it for inspiration, or go for it and send it to the heavens, but please recognize that no testing has been done and I haven't even printed these yet. If it blows up and takes out a small town in Ohio, it's all on you. If you do blow up Ohio, please get it on video!

Check back and below for updates and if you print this, please give me some feedback.

 

[cwbullet]

Subscribed and can’t wait to see your build.

 

[Art Upton]

The idea is to work from the top, using a 15 -30-minute epoxy in the joints. Sand them up first and get them rough, then get them sticky and stuck together. Then, slather laminating epoxy (West Systems, Botal Tote, etc) on the inside. Let it cure. Hope this works without making it heavier than the rest of the rocket.

"Then, slather laminating epoxy (West Systems, Botal Tote, etc) on the inside. Let it cure. Hope this works without making it heavier than the rest of the rocket."

What is the reason for this? I'm not a 3D printer, nor have played one on the web; but it seems it would add yet more weight that would not be needed???

 

[frogglicker]

"Then, slather laminating epoxy (West Systems, Botal Tote, etc) on the inside. Let it cure. Hope this works without making it heavier than the rest of the rocket."

What is the reason for this? I'm not a 3D printer, nor have played one on the web; but it seems it would add yet more weight that would not be needed???

Great question. It's a thin layer of very thin epoxy to reinforce the layers. I've flown nosecones with and without and on the larger nosecones, there tends to be a significant amount of force applied to the nosecone at ejection. This was partly why I failed my first L1 launch. Without the epoxy, the layers should adhere to each other, but the laminating epoxy is a reinforcer. Does it make a difference? I don't have empirical evidence to state that as face, but anecdotal results, for me, show it's worth it for bigger nosecones. I try to find the balance between light and strong.

 

[frogglicker]

I woke up this morning hoping to find my nosecone almost done printing. I came down to a gnarly spaghetti mess. I did get enough from the base to test the tolerances. The shoulder fits nicely in the LOC 3-in tubes but not the Estes. If you are using the Estes tubes, let me know and I will shave off a bit to make it work. I won't be able to print-test an Estes version until I finish the rest of the current nosecone this weekend.

The AVBay and plug should fit fine but I want to be sure, so I am currently printing the plug. I tested the fitment with other sleds that I have but I want to be sure. Once the plug is printed and tested, I will get back to printing the NC base.

In the meantime, I think I will modify the design of @cwbullet's Nike Smoke fin by upscaling it and fitting it for a 38mm MMT... or maybe a 54. Maybe both.

 

[John Kemker]

Very nice!

 

[frogglicker]

The AVBay (plug) test was successful. The fit is a little tight but will open up in time after a bit of use. The NC Base is back on the printer. It should be done around lunchtime, then I will fire off the mid and tip sections.

I also finished the fin design for 38mm and 54mm MMTs. I am going to try the orientation below but there's not a lot of support and little surface area on the bed, so I don't have my hopes up. I will continue to play around with support ideas.


Nike Smoke 3-in Fins


Print Orientation Option

 

[cwbullet]

I woke up this morning hoping to find my nosecone almost done printing. I came down to a gnarly spaghetti mess. I did get enough from the base to test the tolerances. The shoulder fits nicely in the LOC 3-in tubes but not the Estes. If you are using the Estes tubes, let me know and I will shave off a bit to make it work. I won't be able to print-test an Estes version until I finish the rest of the current nosecone this weekend.

The AVBay and plug should fit fine but I want to be sure, so I am currently printing the plug. I tested the fitment with other sleds that I have but I want to be sure. Once the plug is printed and tested, I will get back to printing the NC base.

In the meantime, I think I will modify the design of @cwbullet's Nike Smoke fin by upscaling it and fitting it for a 38mm MMT... or maybe a 54. Maybe both.

Send me a link so i can print one too.

 

[frogglicker]

Send me a link so i can print one too.

EDITED: Short of putting all of these in source control, I will try to maintain a list of the latest packages:
Last update: 7/1/2024

• Nike Smoke 3-in v0.2 AV - Added modified AV Sled to house the Eggtimer Quasar GPS/Flight Computer(Not Tested)
• Nike Smoke 3-in v0.2 Fins - Added the Fin Slot Cutting Guide (not tested)
• Nike Smoke 3-in v0.2 Nosecone - minor updated to mid/forward sections. Tested
• Nike Smoke 3-in v0.2 CRs - Minor update to ID
• Nike Smoke 3-in v0.2 Retainers - 38mm has already been tested several times. The 54mm is from LOC Goblin Build. Both Tested
• Nike Smoke 3-in v0.1 Fat-based Rail Guides - my standard rail guides with a thicker base - Not Tested

 

[frogglicker]

Finally, after several attempts, I got the NC base to print. It's really purdy. The mid-section is next.

 

[frogglicker]

I still need CRs and Retainers. 54mm retain needs attention b/c it was designed for the punisher's FG MMT. I should have them before you finish printing all of this below.

I have updated this msg with the centering rings for both 54mm and 38mm, forward and aft. You, of course, can print an additional aft for 3 (thats my plan)

 

[frogglicker]

Good morning. I finished printing the mid-section and the joint was too tight. I opened that up and now the fit is tight but workable. I did the same to the tip and I am printing that now. should be done in a couple of hours.

There is one thing that I have noticed is that there is warping on the bottom of the middle section. It bows out then dips in. I saw this on my other printer and I don't know how to correct it. I used standard and organic supports. Neither really helped. My bed temp is high to help with adhesion, running at 80c. I have a PEI plate and glue. It seems to be barely hanging on to the print, but this warping feels like a temp issue. Does anyone have an idea?

I'll push out NC v0.2 later this morning once the tip is complete.

 

[frogglicker]

This tip of the nosecone is finally finished and it looks great. No warping and it fits nicely. Overall, the surface finish is really nice on these prints, aside from the mid-section warping defect. The warping isnt a showstopper. Some Bondo Glazing puddy and fix that right up. I've been up since 3am, so I'm gonna take a nap while the centering rings print and I will post some pics of those when they're finished. Then is on to fins and we should be about ready for building! WOOT!

 

[frogglicker]

After my little nap, I found that the centering rings were done. They turned out rather nice. The cut-outs should reduce some weight and they are nice and strong. I tested the clearances and the OD is perfect for LOC 3-in tubes but the ID for both 54mm and 38mm are too tight. I opened them by 1.5mm and I'm printing again.

 

[frogglicker]

The updated centering rings are done and fit great! I will upload the modified files to my Files Post shortly. Next, I will be testing the 54mm fin and then finally the 54mm retainer. Since I intend to build this rocket with a 54mm MMT, I want to finalize this version. I already have the CRs and the 38mm retainer. It's just the fins that need review. Since they are available, if someone wants to print the 38mm fins to test the fin tab, that would be great. Otherwise, I'll get it on the slab sometime this evening.

While I wait for the printer to finish, I'm going to join the nosecone parts together and fill the warping divot with some glazing putty.

It's getting exciting. We're making another rocket!!!

 

[frogglicker]

The 54mm fin is done. The surface quality is something to be desired but it's fully functional. The fitment with the 54mm tube is solid, so it's just a matter of work during the finishing phase. I will print the other fins this afternoon. Since I already have a slot-cutting jig from Menice build, I will not need to make a new one, but I will modify it to fit the tabs and put it in the kit.

I found the retainer I printed for my son's LOC Goblin 4-in and have included that in the files list. Both 38mm and 54mm retainers have been tested so, they're good. Updated list HERE


Nike Smoke 54mm Fin Print Orientation - Adhered well with a little support and large brim


Nike Smoke 54mm Fin - Fitment is good, but the finish quality is meh.

 

[frogglicker]

Good morning,

Last night I set the printer to kick out my retainer and another CR and I came down this morning to my very own Christmas in July! The last part to print is the fin slotting guide. I decided to design one real quick. I'm glad I did. The bottom of the guide is the bottom of the tube so I can make sure the tip of the trailing edge will land right at the bottom of the body tube. I also planned to print the AV sled for this, but I decided to design one for the Eggtime Quasar vs the Quantum. I will work on that in the coming days. I still have to build the quasar and the voice/telemetry/tracker project, but I have the ground station printed out.

At this point, I am just waiting for the slotting guide to print and we're back in build mode!


Nike Smoke 54mm Retainer - Tasty Looking

 

[frogglicker]

This morning, I designed a new AV Sled for the Eggtimer Quasar. The slot-cutting guide was too narrow, so I opened it up and I'm trying again. I also added some modified 1010 rail guides to clear the nosecone. They are two-piece, with the base going from 1.9mm to 5mm. Looking at the sim, it appears that these should clear the NC, but I won't know until it comes time to mount them (still printing them).


Quasar AV Sled


Quantum and Quasar AV Sleds


Quasar Sled Mockup