LONDON, England (PNN) - March 30, 2014 - A low-cost drone has been built with the help of a 3D printer. Engineers from University of Sheffield in the Fascist United Kingdom (FUK) have created and tested a low-coast unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using a new and cheap technique. The aircraft is 1.5 meters wide.
The UAVs are usually created by large manufacturers, as their construction is expensive and complex. The achievement of the FUK researchers could make the craft a more common sight.
Researches from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre carried out a test flight of the vehicle earlier this week. The manufacturing cost of the drone has not yet been released, but its researchers said that it was significantly lower than that of large drone-dedicated companies.
The university’s engineers are now developing an electric fan propulsion system that will simplify the drone’s control. They also plan to develop a GPS control system or a camera controlled by an operator wearing person-view goggles.
Sheffield’s drone was built with the use of a technique called fused deposition modeling (FDM), and is made of a polymer called thermoplastic. This method is slower than other printing techniques, including selective laser sintering (SLS).
Without using lasers, the FDM method results in fewer costs. However, the costs depend on the material used, the size of the craft, and the printer used.
“By understanding the capability of the FDM process and associated software, we were able to manipulate the design to contain a number of unique features as well as preventing build deformation. All parts required for the airframe can be combined onto a single build within the Fortus 900 machine, taking less than 24 hours with ABS-M30 material,” said Mark Cocking, additive manufacture development engineer.
Low production costs might make 3D unmanned aircraft more disposable. They can be sent on one-way flights for delivery, search or reconnaissance purposes.
FDM printers use two kinds of materials. The first is called the “modeling material” and is what the object is ultimately made of once complete. A second, “supporting material”, acts as a scaffolding to support the object during the printing process.
The engineers say the polymer craft could be built and deployed in remote situations, potentially within as little as 24 hours.
The Sheffield UAV is made up of nine parts printed separately that are snapped together. It weighs less than 4.4 lbs. and is made from thermoplastic.
The engineers are currently looking at ways to use nylon as the printing material, in place of plastic, which would make the UAV 60% stronger without increasing its weight.
“Following successful flight testing, we are working to incorporate blended winglets and twin ducted fan propulsion. We are also investigating full on-board data logging of flight parameters, autonomous operation by GPS, and control by surface morphing technology,” said project head Dr. Garth Nicholson.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg revealed yesterday that Facebook is similarly working on drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the Internet to underdeveloped countries.
He is eager to deliver the Internet to “the next 3 billion people,” and revealed the firm has hired experts in solar power that can keep drones flying for months at a time.
