Implementation of Optimum Additive Technologies Design for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Take-Off Weight Increase

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the possibility of drone optimization by selecting and testing the best material suitable for additive manufacturing technology and generative design approach, i. e. shape optimization. The use of additive manufacturing technology enables the creation of models of more complex shapes that are difficult or impossible to produce with conventional processing methods. The complex and unconventional design of the drone body can open up many possibilities for weight reduction while maintaining the strength of the drone body. By using 3D printing in addition to FEM (Finite Element Method) analysis, and generative design it can identify areas of the drone body that are overdrawn, allowing it to either lift off material or simply change the design at these areas. Choosing the right material for this application is crucial in order to optimise the mechanical properties of the material with weight, material cost, printability and availability of the material and the 3D printing method, while at the same time reducing environmental pollution. The goal is to reduce the drone mass by 15–20 % using generative design tools. Mass is an important segment when prototyping a drone. If the drone is too heavy, more lift power is needed to keep the drone in the air, so the propellers have to turn faster and use more energy. Consequently, the reduction of drone mass should increase the take-off weight. In this article 5 commercial drones of similar characteristics are compared with the final proposal of our 3D printed drone (Prototype 1). The rotor distance between the drones, the weight of the electric motor and the take-off weight are compared. The goal was to produce a prototype with a big rotor distance-to-weight ratio, and take-off weight bigger than observed drones have.
 The defined goal function was optimized in order to evaluate characteristics of 12 different 3D printed materials. Following properties: ultimate strength, stiffness, durability, printability of the material, and required bed and extruder temperature for printing were taken in consideration to select optimal material. Polycarbonate proved to be the best choice for 3D printing UAVs

Improving the flight endurance of multi-rotor drones in windy days

“…Its generative design algorithm is a powerful tool that utilizes artificial intelligence and computational algorithms to automatically generate optimized designs based on user-defined goals and constraints. The algorithm goes through a series of iterations, exploring various design options and evaluating their performance against the specified criteria [4].…”

Improving Quality of 3D Printed Components for RPAS using Curved Layer Filament Fabrication

“…The benefits of AM are being recognized by many researchers in the field of RPAS, with much work in the last 5-10 years analyzing benefits and challenges, optimizing materials and RPAS designs. For more detail the work presented in [36], [43], [44], [45], and [46] is some of the work highlighting the use of AM and RPAS. This thesis will highlight some key moments within the RPAS and AM fields.…”

“…Research by Maricic et al[36] completed a weighted trade study including the listed materials scoring them on various categories and weighing them with importance related to use for RPAS. The categories included ultimate tensile strength, durability, density, price, printability, and recyclability.…”