Bidirectional 3D-Printed Propeller

Title: "Design and Optimisation of a Bidirectional 3D-Printed Propeller for a Caged Rolling Drone"

WARNING: RISK OF EXPLODING!

Please do not use this propeller on large motors, or please stay under 30,000 RPM (30 kRPM) when printing with ABS or PLA. Please see graph of materials before you use this propeller (imaged).

Use at your own risk.

This is a drone propeller design I made for my dissertation. It utilises a toroidal blade with optimised geometry to out perform commertial propellers of the same size, a 3 inch propeller. This is a bi-directional or "3D" propeller specifically designed for a caged rolling drone. It uses a "Pesica Viscis" aerofoil seen in the attached image. This shape is symmetrical in both vertical and horizontal axes, key for producing equal lift in both directions. Shown in one photo is a selection of the propellers I designed and tested myself. This print will need supports and if printing multiple on one plate, add an outer brim. I have found the best layerhight for the best performance to be 0.12 mm, any smaller and you risk failing the print, any larger and the layers interact with the air, reducing lift. Once printed I use pliers and a scraper to make the bed-side surface as smooth as I can.

Graphs

The graphs shown are from my dissertation.

• "Total Thrust per Throttle Input" - Shows the average forward and reverse thrust per throttle %

•  "Forward and Reverse Thrust difference per throttle input" - The difference between the propellers forward and reverse thrust 

• "Default Toroidal v S-Foil Toroidal v Conventional v 3rd Party Propellers" - Thrust produced in each direction for that propeller.

• "3D Printer Materials Failure RPM" - Maximum Propeller RPM for different 3D-Printing materials. Based off their yield strength. This is a rough guide, still, use at your own risk.

Methodology

Propellers

• This propeller ("Pesica Viscis Foil")

• A similar propeller shape with an S-shaped aerofoil ("S-Foil")

• A Gemfan Hurricane 3016 (1.5 mm bore, Clear Grey) ("Conventional") -  benchmark commertail uni-directional propeller

• Striking FPV's "V3 Tri-Loop or Tri-Blade Toroidal Propellers for FPV Drone Quadcopter Cinewhoop" ("3rd Party") - This was used as a control for a 3D printed Toroidal Drone Propeller.

Test Equipment

• 2S battery

• DYS BE1104 7500KV.

• Homemade thrust stand with kitchen weighing scales (imaged)

Printer Settings

Image of printer settings is attached below

Reference:

Striking FPV, "V3 Tri-Loop or Tri-Blade Toroidal Propellers for FPV Drone Quadcopter Cinewhoop," Printables, Feb. 19, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.printables.com/model/393972-v3-tri-loop-or-tri-blade-toroidal-propellers-for-f. Accessed: Aug. 1, 2026.