Impact of Manufacturing Methods on the Aerodynamic Performance of the SG6043 Airfoil: An Experimental Comparison

Abstract

Prototyping is a fundamental tool in airfoil design and aerodynamic research, enabling rapid evaluation of geometry, manufacturing constraints, and performance through experimental testing. Among commonly used prototyping techniques, laser cutting and fused deposition modeling (FDM) are widely adopted in airfoil development. This paper presents an experimental comparison of two prototyping manufacturing methods applied to SG6043 airfoil models for small-scale wind turbines operating under low wind speed conditions. The airfoils were fabricated using laser cutting with medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and FDM with polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG). Their aerodynamic performance was assessed in a wind tunnel, focusing on lift, drag, and lift-to-drag (L/D) ratio. Experimental results show that the FDM-manufactured airfoil outperforms the laser-cut prototype, achieving an L/D ratio approximately 20% higher. These findings highlight the influence of prototyping methods and material selection on airfoil aerodynamic performance and support the use of FDM for rapid prototyping in airfoil design and research.