Stratasys 3D printing contributions in UAV applications
UAV(Unmanned Aerial Vehcile) have come a long way since their first use in World War I. While UAV development was taken place primarily in defense operations, recently UAV’s have been developed for civil, commercial applications, industrial and agriculture, etc.
3D printing technology or additive manufacturing is enabling UAV’s more capabilities in smaller, lighter, or large frames to be manufactured.
With the design freedom allowing for parts assembly and lighter parts, FDM 3D printing has significantly contributed to the development of UAV’s and their latest applications. Below are two highlighted examples of how additive manufacturing is changing the production of these UVAs Battery support part for commercial UVA, 3D printing with ABS-M30.
Fuselage part of the industrial drone, 3D printing with Nylon12CF
Lowering the testing and production cost.
With the freedoms of design from 3D printing, they were able to build mechanisms and structures they couldn’t previously manufacture. Using 3D printing helped them to create components quickly and accurately that mimic their larger commercial counterparts without complicated and expensive machining. And to fast the testing and realized the low volume production.
There two prominent advantages with 3D printing in drone parts, one is design freedom, which can save the space in the fuselage.and the other is Weight reduction, lighter the parts and enable the flight speed fast, save cost.
There are some other parts in the commercial or industrial drone is suitable for 3D printing, such charger model, power supply spacer, camera enclosure, and frame support or holder.etc especially for those industrial or agriculture drones which require high-performance materials and high precision components. Such as Nylon12 carbon fiber, ABS-M30, Nylon12, and Ultem9085, etc. 3D printing with Stratasys FDM technology. Charge model for drone’s battery, 3D printing with ABS-M30
The advancements of 3D printing technology help create integral components for these advancing and high-end aircraft quickly, accurately and at a reduced cost. The projected commercial expansion of UAV’s, including drones and other similar recreational aircraft, is widening the marketplace for this technology. In the coming years, 3D printing will likely continue to contribute to the marketplace of civil, industrial and agriculture drones.
