Fish / Stingray Kite Using TPU Printed Parts

Assembling kites is always fun, but it's a laborious task that requires time and patience. To make the work easier for teachers and students, I developed a kite connection system that uses only 2mm diameter fiberglass rods and 3D printed TPU parts. The kite measures 35cm x 35cm and uses only two fiberglass rods. You can assemble them using plastic or tissue paper covering, and I added the option of making it without the TPU printed parts using the old adhesive tape technique.

Tools:

Scissors · 1 m ruler/tape measure · set square · permanent marker · fine sandpaper (shared) · cardboard or cutting mat. Kraft paper or cardboard templates for the Fish/Stingray sail, 35 cm square

Material list:

2 mm fiberglass rod

1 x 48 cm 1 x 57.5 cm using adhesive tape 1 x 48 cm 1 x 60 cm

Safety with fiberglass: the teacher or an adult cuts everything before the activity (cutting pliers or disc or PVC pipe saw), wearing gloves and goggles. Sand the ends finely. I do not recommend children under 14 years old to cut the rods. When bending the bow, never point the rod at a classmate's face.

Covering

Tissue paper (or plastic) 35 × 35 cm

TPU printed parts

2 tips, two discs and 2 side anchors

Bridle line

Line 10 or line 4 or nylon fishing line

Adhesive tape

Contact adhesive such as B-7000 for gluing plastic

Extra strong white glue for gluing tissue paper

1. Cut the Sail into a 35 × 35 cm square (2 squares per 50 × 70 cm sheet of tissue paper).

2. Mark. Lay the square in a diamond shape and lightly trace the vertical diagonal. Mark the points 10 cm from the top and 12.5 cm from the bottom on it.

3. Reinforce the 6 points. Glue a 2 × 2 cm square of tape over and under the paper/plastic (a "sandwich") at the 4 corners of the diamond and at the 2 marked bridging points — this prevents tearing when drilling and tying.

4. Attach the main rod with 3D printed parts. Align the 48 cm rod already containing the two discs and the 3D printed TPU tips. Use the vertical diagonal marked with a pen as a reference and attach the two tips with contact glue, then glue the discs in the correct position. Also glue the TPU pieces that are on the sides, but wait for them to dry before attaching the rod. If you choose to use only adhesive tape to attach the rods, see the next step.

5. 5Attach the rods with adhesive tape. Fold the tip of each corner (top, bottom and the two sides) over the tip of the corresponding rod — like a small flag — and secure with 2 turns of tape, forming a pocket that holds the rod in place, remembering that in this option the arched rod should be longer at 61.5cm. (≈ 7 min)

6. 6Fitting the arch into the 3D printed TPU pieces. Bend the 57.5 cm rod (one at a time carefully) and attach the two ends to the pockets on the side corners. (≈ 5 min)

7. Bridle/Bridle. Drill two holes in the TPU discs on the sides of the top stick diagonally and on the bottom stick parallel (if not shown in the picture). Tie a 40 cm line to each hole and join the two with a ring knot. (≈ 5 min)

8. Tail (optional). 5 x 100 cm plastic strip at the base of the kite. Test with a light breeze; lengthen the tail if the kite wobbles. (in the flight block, at the end)