Replacing Your Drone With 3D Printing

While drones have been used by the United States military since practically the start of the century, they’ve become increasingly popular amongst average consumers only in recent years. In fact, different variations of drones can be found for sale online or even in local malls. So it’s no surprise really that the 3D printing community is trying to find ways to take drones to the next level.

If you’re a proud drone owner, you probably know how easy it is for something to go wrong or malfunction—or it may simply just fly into something you didn’t see—leaving you with having to find a way to replace certain parts of it. Thankfully, because of 3D printing, you can easily replace and repair your own drones. Here are a few ways how. 

3D printing will cut costs drastically

First off, if you’re not swayed enough quite yet to use 3D printing to replace your drone, consider this: Doing so cuts cost heavily. While some smaller drones may be easy to put together, many of them are complex and because of that, can quickly rise in price. 3D printing will help you cut down the costs associated with replacing your drone parts or repairing it when needed. 

It allows you to customize 

In addition, 3D printing allows you to customize your drone to your own liking. And when you want or need to make adjustments, you don’t need to reach out to a manufacturer to do it—which can be a lengthy, stressful process. Instead, you can can make all changes, adjustments and repairs on your own, at your own pace and to your own liking. 

3D printed drones are faster and lighter

Two qualities that consumers always want to improve when it comes to drones: speed and weight. Obviously the lighter a drone is, the faster—and easier—it can fly. And with 3D printing, you can accomplish just that. 

You can easily repair many drone parts

When something malfunctions or breaks, it’s important to first figure out what part of your drone needs to be replaced. It’s likely that you’ll be able to easily replace that piece using 3D printing. Here are a list of pieces that can easily be repaired through 3D printing: propellers, drone frames and equipment housing, landing gear, protective guards, exoskeleton attachments, antenna holders, and mounts for cameras and other payloads. 

You can 3D print accessories for your drone

And when it comes to customization, here’s a list of the accessories you can easily 3D print for your drone: 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, and landing gear extenders.

Ready to take your drone to the next level? Find out how we can help support your next project and bring the power of industrial 3D printing to your drones.

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