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5 Next-Level 3D Printed Drones That Are Pushing the Industry Forward

As the applications of drones varies and grows, it becomes more and more important to develop specific designs that are based on its particular function. A drone built for delivery requires different specifications than a drone built for surveying or image capture. 3D printing is driving this evolution of drone technology by providing access to affordable rapid prototyping and customization and allowing faster innovation to occur. Whether it’s for disaster relief, mapping, or carrying heavy payloads, a drone can better serve its function with the time and cost efficiency and attention to detail that 3D printing provides.

Here are 5 drone projects that have pushed the
boundaries with the help of 3D printing:

Disaster
Relief X VEIN Drone by Team ROK

After the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami brought disaster on a massive scale in 2011, Yuki Ogasawara and Ryo Kumeda of Team ROK were inspired to create a drone built especially for disaster relief and search and rescue. A few years later they used 3D printing and generative design to create their x-shaped X VEIN drone. Because disaster aid presents its own specific set of challenges, the team used 3D printing to be able to customize their drone based on their exact needs.

The design features freeform curves, and a 3D printed lattice-patterned body for maintaining minimal weight while still giving it the strength required to operate in difficult conditions. X VEIN is able to fly within a 500 meter range and can be equipped with thermographic and infrared-imaging and capture images that can be viewed in real time to access remote or obstructed areas and help locate survivors. Because many of its parts are 3D printed, if they are damaged on a mission they can be re-printed and replaced on site. 3D Printing was a crucial tool to be able to have the level of design freedom necessary to build a drone with these specific needs and it ensures that the drone can be further customized in the future depending on the situation at hand.

CargoCopter
by KU Leuven Researchers

Built to deliver payloads over long distances, KU Leuven research team created the 3D printed CargoCopter, a hybrid drone that combines fixed wings and multi-rotors so that it can take off vertically, hover and then fly horizontally. It was designed to expand the range and speed of traditional multi-rotor drones and thanks to its hybrid nature can efficiently transition from take-off to long-distance flight. It can carry up to 5kg, has a range of 60km and can fly up to 100km/hour. The team used 3D printing to rapidly prototype over 3 years to arrive at this model and their designs were able to quickly evolve. Thanks to the customization flexibility of 3D printing they are able to optimize each new CargoCopter design based on the needs of its particular mission.

BLUEROV2
Submarine Drone by Blue Robotics

Aerial drones are not the only ones making use of 3D printing. When Blue Robotics set out to build their underwater drones, they needed parts that could withstand the harsh conditions of the ocean and had trouble sourcing ones that were durable enough and weren’t overly expensive. They then turned to 3D printing to be able to prototype their own parts at a much more affordable rate. Using 3D printing to prototype also led them to customize parts to fit their exact needs. The BLUEROV2 comes with a high definition, wide-angle low-light camera with two or four lights to illuminate the ocean around it. It can travel to a depth of up to 100 meters and is built to withstand currents. The ROV is designed with expansion and modification in mind, and is fitted with a customizable frame to accommodate a range of functions.

The tiny drone named Piccolissimo. Image source: PennToday

Piccolissimo
The Tiny Drone by Matt Piccoli from UPenn

In 2016, Matt Piccoli from UPenn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science designed the world’s smallest steerable drone “Piccolissimo”. The tiny drone comes in two sizes: one weighs 2.5 grams and is the size of a quarter, and the other steerable version is 2 grams heavier and a centimeter wider. It was 3D printed using lightweight plastic. It has two moving parts, the robot’s body and motor, which spins one way 40 times per second, and its propeller spinning 800 per second in the opposite direction. Its motion is determined by how quickly the propeller and body are spinning, which can be controlled by infrared signals. The drone can carry a load of up to one gram, like a small camera or sensor. Its size suggests that it would be a fitting model for surveying or search and rescue missions, as a few hundred could be used to cover more ground than a single larger sized drone.

The
Int-Ball by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Int-Ball, or JEM Internal Ball Camera was built using 3D printing to float aboard the International Space Station taking video and photo documentation. The spherical drone arrived on the ISS in June of 2017 and weighs 1kg, has a 15cm diameter and moves with 12 propellers. The Int-Ball features both internal and external components produced using 3D printing and is designed to float in a zero-gravity environment with the ability to move autonomously or be maneuvered by operators on Earth. It is set to reduce the crew’s workload by 10% by taking on image capturing duties.

3D printing helps to redefine what is possible when it comes to exploring and achieving innovation in drone technology. Its efficiency in prototyping and customization make room for a higher level of productivity and imagination, improving the way drones are designed and manufactured. If you are looking to create the next innovative drone, 3D printing is essential to facilitating the most efficient and flexible production process.

See how Shapeways can help your drone business transition to 3D printing!

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Customize Drones with 3D Printing to Suit Your Business

Drones, or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), are a growing technology used in many different sectors and their designs must suit their specific application. 3D printing facilitates drone innovation by enabling design freedom, as well as fast and affordable prototyping and printing of parts. It is possible to 3D print many of a drone’s parts including the frame, propellers, the landing gear, protective equipment and casings for the electronic components.

With the cost and time efficiency that 3D printing offers, each of these parts can be optimized, customized and upgraded to suit the exact needs of the business it is serving. If you are using or considering using drones for your business, 3D printing has the potential to substantially enhance your drone’s function.

Cut
Time and Costs By Turning to 3D Printing for Customized Drones

Commercial drones can be highly expensive and out of reach for smaller businesses that rely on the use of drones to grow their business. 3D printing cuts costs in many different areas including prototyping, customization and manufacturing and therefore makes specialty drones more accessible. It also speeds up the design and prototyping process so that changes can be implemented and the design can evolve more quickly. Kespry, a company that specializes in drones for mapping and surveying, were able to successfully grow their business thanks in part to the affordability of 3D printing their drone parts. Prototyping and printing the covers for their drones’ electronic components cost substantially less than traditional manufacturing methods like injection molding.

Design
a Drone that Suits Your Business Perfectly

Even with the wide range of drones already out there, why rely on a ready-made drone that only suits some of your needs? If you need drones to transport supplies and other cargo, to perform reconnaissance in tight spaces or remote areas, or to catch stunning video footage from the sky, 3D printing can allow you to upgrade drones to suit your business specifically.

Optimize Your Drone Based on its Function

A drone transporting cargo would need a much sturdier, reinforced frame, for example, whereas an FPV drone carrying a small camera might benefit from a more lightweight body. Perhaps your drone needs to be weather resistant and be able to continue flying in unpredictable conditions. No matter what your business’s unique set of needs is, 3D printing allows you to make specific design choices.

Take Advantage of a Higher Level of Geometric Complexity

3D printing technology allows designs to incorporate a higher complexity, allowing parts to be produced more efficiently. Using 3D Printing, companies like Quantum Systems are able to consolidate their drone parts by taking advantage of the ability to produce more complex designs that integrate multiple functions into one part. This not only saves time and materials but also gives them the opportunity to add any needed features to their designs without compromising on the drone’s weight.

Prototype
Your Drone Parts

Prototyping with 3D printing helps make customizing drones accessible even to smaller businesses. The process allows for unprecedented speed and cost reduction in making sure your drone is the best it can be. Instead of waiting months to test new iterations, changes can be made to 3D designs within hours, then printed and shipped to you in days. Implementing changes quickly allows for a faster evolution of a design and to find exactly what is right for your business.

Print
Your Parts with the Appropriate 3D Printing Method and Materials

Selecting the right 3D printing technology and materials will depend on the drone. SLA printing provides a high level of precision and a wide range of materials to choose from. The material should be tough and versatile and be able to handle stretching, bending and impact. Nylon is another option as it is strong, temperature resistant and is also good for printing drone fuselages that resist collision damages.

Partner
Up with a Service To Achieve the Highest Level of Quality

For the most efficient printing process, it is important to have dedicated support and access to the highest quality results. Our services at Shapeways enable businesses of all sizes to develop specialty drones without incurring high equipment startup costs and navigating the trial and error of adapting to a new technology. That way your focus can be on your needs and your unique drone design while the production of prototypes and parts is taken care of.

            Drones are used for such a wide range of projects and functions that having specific enhancements to suit its purpose are hugely beneficial. Traditional manufacturing methods would have made unique alterations inaccessible to many smaller businesses but thanks to 3D printing, updating a drone’s design has limitless opportunities. Whether your business uses or produces and sells drones, customization will become more and more important and 3D printing is the best suited technology to facilitate it.

See how Shapeways can help you produce the best drones to grow your business.

learn more

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Quantum Systems’ Drones Take Flight with the Help of 3D Printing

Quantum Systems is a Munich-based company specializing in advanced eVTOL (electric vertical take off and landing) drones. Most recently Quantum Systems tested using their Trinity F90+ to deliver medical samples, opening up new possibilities for applying drone technology to facilitate medical needs.

Founded in 2015, the company has grown quickly by utilizing 3D printing from the beginning of their journey. From rapidly prototyping to printing laser-sintered serial production parts, 3D printing allows for the production of complex but lightweight parts that are free from design constraints, cutting time and mistakes while keeping costs at a minimum.

Quantum Systems has used Shapeways’ printing services to create the ultimate eVTOL aircrafts. We interviewed their CEO, Florian Seibel, to gain more insights on how 3D printing contributes to their drone-making process.

What is your name and role at Quantum Systems?

Florian Seibel, CEO of Quantum Systems

I am Florian Seibel, and since the founding of Quantum-Systems GmbH in 2015, I’ve held the position of CEO.

The core team of the founders got to know each other as part of their scientific work at the Institute of Flight Systems of the German Armed Forces in Munich. My expertise is the development and the operation of small unmanned aerial vehicles with the focus on design, construction and production methods. With my vision of a licensed, VTOL fixed-wing UAV, I was the initiator of the patent to secure the innovative aspects of the UAV and the driving force behind the founding of the company Quantum-Systems GmbH.

Tell us more about Quantum-Systems

Quantum-Systems GmbH was founded in 2015 in Munich and specializes in the development and production of automatic, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) fixed-wing drones for a wide variety of use cases. The 50+ employees are working intensively on combining range and electric efficiency with the ability to vertically take off and land without additional equipment.

Our passion is the continuous development of industry-leading VTOL aircrafts. With our ready-to-operate systems we serve a wide range of customers. We help to increase yields in agriculture, fly 3-D reconstruction missions, do tactical mapping for security forces or provide mission-critical video footage in real time to military users. Made in Germany, non ITAR and no back doors in soft or hardware as all of our flight planning and autopilot software is designed in-house.

quantum systems drone with 3d printed parts
Quantum-System’s Trinity F90+ drone – Main Body. Image source: Quantum Systems

Why did you choose additive manufacturing and not alternative manufacturing processes?

The complex geometry of 3D-printed parts saves weight by using synergy effects. With synergy effects we mean that with 3D-printed parts we are able to reduce the total number of parts by designing multiple-use parts with integral functionality.

What are the benefits of using additive manufacturing with Shapeways vs using traditional manufacturing?

We used 3D-printing right away, so there is no comparison. Quantum-Systems is a young company. Only because of the fact that we have integrated this manufacturing method into our manufacturing and development process, have we been able to significantly reduce development time. For injection moulded parts we save around 10 weeks by using 3D-printed samples to release the CAD data. The probability that these parts need a second loop of corrections is quite low in this way. For cnc-manufactured parts it is the same, we just often skip the first round of samples with 3D-printed parts which saves us 3-4 weeks. In general I would say 3D-printing saves us 20-50% of time, depending on which parts we design.

What do you value most in additive manufacturing services? 

We can have fast iterations in development
and save time to mature our prototypes.

Why did you choose Shapeways?

Simple customer interface and good print
quality! And on top of that, you are quick!

Trinity F90+ Payload Bay with a dual camera mount for RGB and multispectral images. Image source: Quantum Systems

What types of 3D printing do you use Shapeways for? 

We have many prototype parts and even some
serial production parts laser sintered.

Which materials do you print in and why? 

In general, we order Versatile Plastic and HP (Multi Jet Fusion PA12), sometimes colorized. The material properties are perfect for building light and strong drone parts. We prefer HP at the moment, but for some parts, especially big ones, we order Versatile Plastic due to the price.

Any future projects on the horizon?

A lot! And fortunately, all projects
require the use of 3D printing. The drones sector still offers a lot of room to
pack more features into smaller and more flexible products.

3D printing prototypes and parts has given Quantum Systems the ability to cut substantial time, effort and potential mistakes by streamlining their production process. See how Shapeways can help you prototype and take your designs to the next level.

learn more

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What Drone Parts Can You 3D Print?

Drones are quickly becoming a standard fixture in skies throughout the world. While most drones are small and portable — akin to the common radio-controlled toy plane — aerospace companies and tech firms are building larger, more robust drones to take on all manner of tasks, from delivery to security.

3D printing stands to play a substantial role in how drones are manufactured and deployed in the future. And if the forecasts are correct, there will be a huge demand for 3D printed drone accessories as the robots become more mainstream and we find new, exciting applications for their technology. Here’s a rundown of the ways you can modify your drones with 3D printing.

3D Printing Drone Parts

If you intend to use 3D printed drones as part of your business, or if you’re merely interested in what it would be like to make one, here are a few of the essential drone parts you can make with even a basic 3D printer:

  • Propellers
  • Drone frames and equipment housing
  • Landing gear
  • Protective guards
  • Exoskeleton attachments
  • Antenna holders
  • Mounts for cameras and other payloads

There are numerous benefits to 3D printing these types of drone parts, aside from the cost. Accidents happen, and if you break a piece of your drone, there’s no need to order a new part if you have a 3D printer available.

If you decide to upgrade your drones with new printable parts, you don’t need to send your drone away to be worked on. Simply print out the latest upgrades and integrate them.

3D Printing Drone Accessories

Of course, there are plenty of other things related to drone use which you can 3D print, aside from the essential components of your drones, including:

  • Carrying cases
  • Radio signal enhancers
  • Targets, landing pads, and cones
  • Tables and displays
  • Repair tools
  • Sun shades for mobile device controllers
  • Remote control unit housings
  • Landing gear extenders

Depending on how you intend to use your drones and what you learn in the field, you can even come up with your own accessories to add to your 3D printing list.

Creating Opportunities with Drone Accessory Production

With so many different types of drones on the market and more coming out all the time, there’s more opportunity than ever for businesses to get a piece of the drone industry. Whether you intend to use drones to deliver services to customers, or if you want to be a drone provider yourself, 3D printing can help you harness the benefits of next-generation automation.

Overall, 3D printing provides five key opportunities:

  • Reduced costs
  • Reduced timelines
  • Reduced errors
  • Agility in the face of competition
  • On-demand production

Whichever way you apply drone technology in your business, you should consider 3D printing options so you can take advantage of these benefits. By tapping into 3D printing early, you’ll have more opportunities to take advantage of the next iteration of this technology.

There’s no better time to deploy new 3D printed drone accessories, whether you intend to sell them yourself or incorporate them into your existing business.

The post What Drone Parts Can You 3D Print? appeared first on Shapeways Magazine.