2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
Printed jet drone.
American companies Stratasys and Aurora Flight Sciences have designed and printed a jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle. According to Stratasys, the resulting device has a small mass and is capable of speeds of over 240 kilometers per hour.
The new drone has a wingspan of three meters and weighs only 15 kilograms, including the engine and fuel systems. Structurally, the device is 80 percent assembled from parts made using 3D printing technologies. The aerodynamic elements of the drone inside have a honeycomb structure that strengthens the structure.
According to Dan Campbell, an engineer at Aurora Flightg Sciences, the use of 3D printing technologies has halved the time it takes to develop and manufacture the drone. The main elements of the apparatus were made using the technology of layer-by-layer deposition of molten polymer filament, the controlled nozzle of the engine was printed by the method of direct metal laser sintering.
The laser sintering technology was also used in the production of the fuel tank of the apparatus. This item was printed from nylon. The created apparatus is a demonstrator of technologies; its main goal is to validate the suitability of various 3D printing technologies for use in drone production.
According to Stratasys, 3D printing allows you to save on materials, since when you print parts, there is practically no waste: scrap metal, shavings, and chemicals used to process the parts. Thanks to this, it does not harm the environment, and the products themselves are somewhat cheaper than those that are made by conventional methods.
Various manufacturers today are considering 3D printing as one of the ways to speed up and reduce the cost of production. Research is being carried out in which developers check the functioning of printed parts in various components and assemblies of aircraft. 3D printing is also seen as a way to produce large numbers of drones aboard ships and aircraft.
