Compressed Air Engine

3D Printer settings:
Nozzle diameter - 0.2mm
Filament diameter - 1.75mm
Extrusion width - 0.25mm
Layer height - 0.1mm
Top solid layers - 6
Bottom solid layers - 6
Side walls - 6
Outline direction - Outside-In
Infill - 25% (honeycomb)
Material - ABS
Nozzle temperature - 240C
Bed temperature - 60C
Cooling - OFF
Printing speed - 1800mm/minute (Correction from video)

Other parts required:
1pcs Spring (outside dia: 3.18mm, free length: 12.7mm, wire dia: 0.51mm)
1pcs M4x30mm bolt (this can be any desired length)
3pcs M2x20mm bolts
1pc M2x bolt
2pcs 604-ZZ bearings
2pcs 3mm brass collars (these can be cut from brass tubing with inside diameter of 2mm and outside diameter of 3mm)
8mm inside diameter PVC tubing (for air supply)

A propeller of some sort will also be required, probably something around 5-8 inches in diameter will do the job.

Disclaimer: If you wish you 3D print this engine, do so at your own risk. Working with high pressure air is DANGEROUS and I hold no responsibility for your actions. All parts were printed to the highest strength possible and I can't guarantee that your parts will be the same. So please test the engine behind a protective cover and only to low pressures below 30psi.

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[DoNotPushHere]

Hi, newbe here but have some experience on air engines... Yours is an amazing success, specially coming from a 3D printer, but i think you could improve it quite easily right now
The spring on the piston makes a whole difference. The sound and behavior that your engine shows, reminds me of my broken Air hogs engine, where I ruined the spring and replaced it by a stronger one... It is like a gas engine with premature ignition (aka autoignition?). Maybe you could get a very soft spring and trim the needle with a couple of scissors, so it only opens the valve at 3/4 of upwards travel.
Also, the 6mm bb might be too wide for a valve. You know... air hogs uses a 2mm ball bearing, on a 1, 5mm diameter air passage. This mod might mean you printing some parts again, or just grueing a small tube into the 6mm hole, and building a new valve with the narrower tube.
And don't worry about air pressure on bottles. You can get to 80psi even with those plugs screwed to the side.

hope this helps...

[christianm]

Make the piston and cylinder smaller so you don't need that much air. Also use a pvc pipe or a coke or sprite bottle. They can hold more preassure

[grrarg]

I've built some small glow plug and diesel engines on my lathe, and found that I got better results by making the pistons slightly oversized for the cylinder bore, and then lapping the outside of the piston and the inside of the bore until they are a tight fit and then lapping the piston inside the bore for an airtight fit. Of course with metal you have tighter tolerances to work with and the material doesn't suffer from shrinkage. Fantastic work on the engine, just subscribed!

[patricklaqua]

Was totally with you at 11:48 ... Great job, excellent video.

[Anony-Mouse]

Keep on doing your thing Tom, your channel is very fun to watch and very educational

[brianbak]

I'm so happy for your channel! The face you made when the motor started was absolutely priceless. Keep going with your good work :)

[Durrdalus]

A 2L coke or sprite bottle can handle a fair amount of pressure but for a better seal the air hoses should be put into the cap.

[benkoh]

try using Co2 canister to make a mobile plane!

[FancysWorkshop]

This is great! I never would have thought about making a compressed air engine.. This could lead to a ton of projects. Thank you for posting.

[BanBan]

2ltr fizzy drinks bottles will take 100-150 PSI before blowing out. I used them as accumulators for Lego pneumatic engines. Great project and solid proof 3D printing can be used to make more than trinkets and vases.

[RookieLock]

I used to Love my AirHogs plane! I really love the sound of those little air engines! Great quality print, keep up the good work

11:54 you were not getting to excited this is awesome.... keep up the good work

[WilliamDP]

This is absolutely one of the coolest things that I have ever seen 3D printed! Congratulations on your very ingenious and innovative design.

[retroybd]

The motor is one of the most basic yet innovative designs I have ever seen. One like, this comment and a Subscriber is earned, my good friend.

[CrzyZeke]

Tom, that is frickin amazing! I love what you are doing with pushing 3d printing to its limits

[dimamukhin]

9:51 You don't look stupid at all! You're doing great things and hope more people will invest their time into inventions and experimenting. Keep it up!

[mdoyle]

What if instead of pressurizing the bottle with a pump, you used a small amount of dry ice and water to produce gas? I bet the right ratio could be found that wouldn't blow up the bottle, but would give longer run times.

[mauriceupp]

I never even thought about how those things work until the day thank you

[Mrcake]

"Air hogs" Holy shit I remember those.

[Ramius]

I would have to disagree with your annotation and say "NO" you are NOT too excited about it. I was giddy just watching you discover it working! haha. Nice man!