A Sydney-based design engineering team has used 3D printed aluminium to build a functional, high speed drone, highlighting the engineering potential of 3D printing in metal.
The designers, called Fusion Imaging, work closely with US-based 3D printing service provider Shapeways, with a primary focus on drones, particularly First Person View (FPV) drones whose camera feeds are piped to displays or headsets of the controller.
The project was also an initiative by Shapeways to show off their new aluminium printing capabilities, which uses Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) to melt and build up layers of aluminium powder into the final component. The resulting parts are rigid, able to stand up to heat, and strong.
Fusion Imaging used 3D printing to create custom motor heatsinks, motor protector plates, antenna holders, and the drone arms that make up the majority of the structure of the drone.
According to Fusion Imaging designer Haydn Bao, the heat of the laser used during the DMLS process means the aluminium powder is melted and fused together, resulting in components that are similar to single milled parts.
The resulting arms, while rigid, also contained interior spaces for the routing of cables. By applying heat-conductive paste to the motors, the aluminium printed arms also functioned as heat sinks to cool the motors, which the operators could then run at higher speeds without risk of overheating.
The resulting drones were able to achieve speeds of 141 km per hour during initial tests.
Bao’s designs are focused on utilising 3D printing to its maximum advantage.
“It is of little benefit to design 3D printed items that are already innovations achieved or adopted in traditional manufacturing means,” he explained. “I believe the possibilities of 3D printed benefits over traditional is what inspires and drives my designs.”
Such advantages include the ability to design structures on the inside of components, which act like the marrow inside of bones to improve structural integrity, while reducing weight and maintaining a smooth exterior surface for improved aerodynamics.
“[I can] create stronger and lighter components than what’s possible with traditional manufacturing, where weight reduction might come in the form of milling slots on the outside,” Bao said.
Other engineering advantages of 3D printing processes like DMLS include the elimination of special tooling for short production runs, on-demand parts production, and the ability to simplify designs and reduce parts counts.