G'day all. I was just wondering if anyone might have cad files for 3D printing boom heads? I have a friend who is going to attempt to make one but if there is something to work off it might be handy.

I have 2 fiberspar booms that need the head replaced and i have been unable to find spare ones so 3D printing might be the easiest way to solve the problem.

Thanks Shannon.

you'll need to use something strong. there's a lot of pressure on a boom head

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decrepit said..
you'll need to use something strong. there's a lot of pressure on a boom head

Yeah I can get it printed in carbon fibre. That option gives it a chance to work. The cad work costs about 3 times as much as the printing though so if I can save on that it would be great.

Given the strength required, complexity of the few parts, and the fact there is every chance nobody has produced files for it - why? Many other boom heads will fit. Ones for a slightly larger dia tubing can be used with a plastic shim, and often this is preferable anyway as it improves articulation and eliminates tubing wear.

Back when almost everything had an Aeron head and tail say 5-10yrs ago it was very common to swap heads, and if it is that kind of age boom the spare parts will be very common as a result.

Thus, may be better to post a pic here and somebody will have fitted a different head to it, almost guaranteed.

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Mark _australia said..
Given the strength required, complexity of the few parts, and the fact there is every chance nobody has produced files for it - why? Many other boom heads will fit. Ones for a slightly larger dia tubing can be used with a plastic shim, and often this is preferable anyway as it improves articulation and eliminates tubing wear.

Back when almost everything had an Aeron head and tail say 5-10yrs ago it was very common to swap heads, and if it is that kind of age boom the spare parts will be very common as a result.

Thus, may be better to post a pic here and somebody will have fitted a different head to it, almost guaranteed.

I have tried to find an alternative head but with no success. The closest I have come to is the streamline head from a shop in Perth but the straight section of tubing on my boom is 90mm and they have 100mm so I don't think it will work.

i have also tried contacting Maui sails via 2 email addresses on their website and didn't hear anything back. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Maui has been gone for ages

What is the diameter of the tubing at front end (clean, no plastic etc over) ?

The Aeron head I was referring to (Aeron, Severne, KA, Simmer, others) from say 5-10yrs ago, has a 87mm wide fitting and dia of about 30-31mm, as I said you can shim it though
I cna take more precise measurements of a spare one I have if u need

I just bought a mast from mauisails.com, email support also got back recently at online-shop@mauisails.com

blank on purpose!

Definitely go for maui sails boom heads. They come with shims for different tube diameters.

I bought a boom head from Maui Sails a year ago. Very fast delivery and also to reply my emails.

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Sandman1221 said..
blank on purpose!

Why do you think that might have happened?

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Sandman1221 said..
I just bought a mast from mauisails.com, email support also got back recently at online-shop@mauisails.com

That is one of the addresses I tried. It was Monday I emailed them. Do you know how long they take to reply?

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Mark _australia said..
Maui has been gone for ages

What is the diameter of the tubing at front end (clean, no plastic etc over) ?

The Aeron head I was referring to (Aeron, Severne, KA, Simmer, others) from say 5-10yrs ago, has a 87mm wide fitting and dia of about 30-31mm, as I said you can shim it though
I cna take more precise measurements of a spare one I have if u need

The diameter of the large boom is about 40mm and the small one is 32mm. It sounds like it might be close to working for the small one.

Also where did Maui sails go?

Thanks for all your help everyone.

Shannon.

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WillyWind said..
I bought a boom head from Maui Sails a year ago. Very fast delivery and also to reply my emails.

Hey Willy wind would you mind measuring how wide the boom head is where it attaches to the boom? I am hoping it's less than 90mm.

thanks Shannon.

COVID can delay emails too if people are out sick. Send a second one and give them a couple of days to a week. I think it took about 5 days to hear back.

The carbon-reinforced nylons I've tried 3D-printing for other applications are not particularly strong.
For example, the Markforged Carbon-Reinforced Onyx (nylon matrix) has only a tensile strength at break of 30 MPa, which is a very small fraction of what conventional carbon-reinforced epoxy laminates can take (around 600 MPa). You need to consider that most 3D-printing technologies use chopped fibres, as opposed to the continuous fabrics (multiaxial or unidirectional) used in vacuum infused composites.
There are some niche continuous-fibre 3D-printing technologies such as the one offered by Polymaker using also nylon as a matrix. The tensile strength goes up to 100 Mpa, and the reason why it is still a fraction of the strength (of traditional composites) is due to the relatively weak strength between the 'printed' nylon layers, compared to the chemically cross-linked epoxy matrix of conventional vacuum infused laminates. The performance comparison in shear strength is even worse.
Just my two cents from what I've experienced.

Also , injected plastic parts ( plastic boom head ) , have a kind of grain structure , ( molded under high pressure ) ,which makes the part strong . 3D printing just lays layer apon layer with the molten plastic sticking the layers together . Even with carbon you still wont get a good bond . Not near as strong . Some injected plastic parts have glass or carbon fibers in the plastic which is the strongest . This is expensive because it wears out the molding machine and tooling and has to be added to the price.
Its kind of like comparing the strength between the same steel manufactured in different ways . Cast ( 3D printed ) , rolled or extruded ( plastic block ) and forged ( injected plastic ) .
That's enough useless waffle from me.

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shannon19 said..

WillyWind said..
I bought a boom head from Maui Sails a year ago. Very fast delivery and also to reply my emails.

Hey Willy wind would you mind measuring how wide the boom head is where it attaches to the boom? I am hoping it's less than 90mm.

thanks Shannon.

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WillyWind said..

shannon19 said..

WillyWind said..
I bought a boom head from Maui Sails a year ago. Very fast delivery and also to reply my emails.

Hey Willy wind would you mind measuring how wide the boom head is where it attaches to the boom? I am hoping it's less than 90mm.

thanks Shannon.

Ah that's a shame. Looks like it'll be no good either. Unless I can make 5mm disappear from either side.

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Sin said..
The carbon-reinforced nylons I've tried 3D-printing for other applications are not particularly strong.
For example, the Markforged Carbon-Reinforced Onyx (nylon matrix) has only a tensile strength at break of 30 MPa, which is a very small fraction of what conventional carbon-reinforced epoxy laminates can take (around 600 MPa). You need to consider that most 3D-printing technologies use chopped fibres, as opposed to the continuous fabrics (multiaxial or unidirectional) used in vacuum infused composites.
There are some niche continuous-fibre 3D-printing technologies such as the one offered by Polymaker using also nylon as a matrix. The tensile strength goes up to 100 Mpa, and the reason why it is still a fraction of the strength (of traditional composites) is due to the relatively weak strength between the 'printed' nylon layers, compared to the chemically cross-linked epoxy matrix of conventional vacuum infused laminates. The performance comparison in shear strength is even worse.
Just my two cents from what I've experienced.

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Imax1 said..
Also , injected plastic parts ( plastic boom head ) , have a kind of grain structure , ( molded under high pressure ) ,which makes the part strong . 3D printing just lays layer apon layer with the molten plastic sticking the layers together . Even with carbon you still wont get a good bond . Not near as strong . Some injected plastic parts have glass or carbon fibers in the plastic which is the strongest . This is expensive because it wears out the molding machine and tooling and has to be added to the price.
Its kind of like comparing the strength between the same steel manufactured in different ways . Cast ( 3D printed ) , rolled or extruded ( plastic block ) and forged ( injected plastic ) .
That's enough useless waffle from me.

Thanks guys. Sounds like it's not a good option either. I will figure something out I am sure.

Buy a KA / Simmer / Severne one for the small boom.
The larger one looks like somebody wrapped it with extra to repair, is that the case?

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Mark _australia said..
Buy a KA / Simmer / Severne one for the small boom.
The larger one looks like somebody wrapped it with extra to repair, is that the case?

Yeah I think you are right. I have ordered 2 from Maui sails. I think the 90mm gap will work on the inside. Fingers crossed I hear from them in the next couple of days.

thanks Shannon.

We 3D print all the time. 3D printed parts are NOT very strong. Even SLA or SLS printing. Weakest of all is the FDM where carbon can be used.I don't have the numbers to hand but there are specs on line and show just how weak the plastic layers are. The 'carbon' filaments have such small ratio of carbon to plastic and the carbon is not in long strands but fine powders infused in the filament- arguably more like a filler powder than something that adds much strength through lamination. IMO you would be better off pulling a mould off an existing head or a new printed head then flopping a hand layered up epoxy carbon cast, which you could further fill etc. But to me seems a hell of a lot of work and time for an item you can buy easily. Designing the part is slow, printing takes an age with a high failure rate, and the printed parts will have very low wear resistance, tensile, shear and torsional strength.

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shannon19 said..
G'day all. I was just wondering if anyone might have cad files for 3D printing boom heads? I have a friend who is going to attempt to make one but if there is something to work off it might be handy.

I have 2 fiberspar booms that need the head replaced and i have been unable to find spare ones so 3D printing might be the easiest way to solve the problem.

Thanks Shannon.

Most generic boom heads will fit.
I fitted them to my Fibrespar boom easily.
2nd Wind in Perth have some, I know.

Reminds me of the time a fellow sailor hand crafted a beautiful fin from plywood.
Snapped after about 20m.

The Chinook Pro 1 head will probably fit the smaller boom. Their website says it is for a diameter of 33.5 +/- 1mm and the width is 88mm

chinooksailing.com/collections/boom-parts-accessories/products/pro-1-boom-head-complete-with-rdm-adapter

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Agree with OP ... It's too hard to find a matching boomhead ...

Need to consider ..
Diameter which can change over straight section
Straight section on outside of boom
Straight section on inside of boom
Curve on 'straight' section of boom (not always straight)
Tolerances are super tight

Please buy a new boom.

It looks like Maui sails might be dead. I ordered the 2 boom heads from them and heard nothing till I lodged a PayPal dispute. I then got an email just saying to wait a bit longer. No invoice or tracking details.they said they can't track packages once it leaves the us. My money was refunded via PayPal. Best to steer clear of them in future I reckon.

Well after getting the refund the gear turned up the next day. Looks like Maui sails is good but there customer service is rubbish.

I've replayed the money via PayPal. Got 2 new booms to try out next time there is wind ??

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JakeNN said..

Agree with OP ... It's too hard to find a matching boomhead ...

Need to consider ..
Diameter which can change over straight section
Straight section on outside of boom
Straight section on inside of boom
Curve on 'straight' section of boom (not always straight)
Tolerances are super tight

Please buy a new boom.

And like the last thread where you said the above - it is not the case.
There is almost always something that will fit.

And over two weeks before you made this post, I measured one of mineand told him it would fit.
Then a couple days later, an ex-boom manufacturer said many generic heads will fit. Geez if you think its all too hard,I think he would know.

Dunno what you have against mix n match when people have little $$$$ - it works and asking here what else might fit is a very valid questions.
Save $1000 and recycle. Bring it on.