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paraglider fabric info

AlgoDude

AlgoDude

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Joined
May 8, 2025
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4
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Wisconsin
So, my buddy and I are trying to get the lowdown on paraglider fabric!

I'm designing RC gliders in Fusion 360 and wanna use his old Skywalk paraglider skin to cover the wings I'm gonna 3D print in PLA.

Right now, the wings are just frames and need a top and bottom layer to actually work.

So, I'm really curious, is it gonna last if I just glue the fabric from my buddy's Skywalk glider?

Can I slap some kind of tension coating on that fabric?

What is this fabric made of? Need to know what glue will stick it to my simple plastic 3D printed wing frame. Cheers!
 
AlgoDude said:
So, my buddy and I are trying to get the lowdown on paraglider fabric!

I'm designing RC gliders in Fusion 360 and wanna use his old Skywalk paraglider skin to cover the wings I'm gonna 3D print in PLA.

Right now, the wings are just frames and need a top and bottom layer to actually work.

So, I'm really curious, is it gonna last if I just glue the fabric from my buddy's Skywalk glider?

Can I slap some kind of tension coating on that fabric?

What is this fabric made of? Need to know what glue will stick it to my simple plastic 3D printed wing frame. Cheers!
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Ouuu, that's a sick idea!, most paraglider fabric like what skywalk uses is usually ripstop nylon with a silicone or PU coating, so it's real light and crazy strong for the weight. Gluing it to PLA can work, but it has to bond well with both plastic and nylon like contact cement or something like 3M 77 spray (test first!). Nice project champ, I hope to see end results
 
Totally agree, ripstop nylon's awesome stuff for that. I was leaning toward 3M 77 too, but kinda wondering how it holds up with flex and heat over time. Have you personally tried it on a setup like this before?
 
Yeah, and ripstone nylon maybe coated with either silicone or polyurethane depending on the model or year of the glider, and good chances are it's siliconized nylon, which is as much as it is crazy strong and light, is also a nightmare to glue, and most adhesives just slide right off, so go with silicone based adhesive sealants
 
They're all right. And you can also lightly mist the fabric with water to tighten it once its on, but avoid anything too aggressive or it'll warp your PLA frame. Should hold up well if you prep it right
 

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