Plotting and CADing NACA 4 and 5 Digit Airfoils
- Nathaniel Li
By http://airfoiltools.com you can plot and CAD NACA 4 and 5 digit airfoils by directly using the points given. By following the video below, you’ll be able to create a sketch of the airfoil’s outline.
It is important that when you copy the DAT coordinates from airfoil tools, that you select the correct options. Two important things to look out for are the # of points (max it out to 200) and Close Trailing Edge (select this). By ensuring these are correctly selected, your sketch in SolidWorks will be accurate and directly usable.
DO NOT FOLLOW THE VIDEO WHEN COPYING THE COORDINATES. The video copies the set of points that are meant to be used for visual purposes only. These points will not be accurate. Instead, using the NACA 4 digit generator or NACA 5 digit generator follow this example for creating your points:
Input the correct camber, camber position and thickness for your airfoil
Put 200 for number of points (achieves higher accuracy)
Select “Close Trailing Edge”
Click “Plot” → The points in the “Dat file” section are the ones you want to use
Using these points, follow the rest of the video below
*Disclaimer: If you’re not plotting points using the airfoil tools plot generator, you can still follow the instructions above by copying the DAT coordinates as shown in the video. However, you may end up with a sketch of the airfoil that doesn’t fully close.