Using Additive Manufacturing to Build Drone Components

Mechanical engineers in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Global Security Directorate used computer-aided design and the latest additive manufacturing techniques to design and build custom components for drones.

"I think it’s amazing," said Lawrence Livermore engineer Brian Wihl  . "To have this [pen] essentially next to our building, we can just come out here and fly. We don’t have to make sure we meet all the requirements that add a lot of overhead. It basically allows us to be a lot more efficient in our testing, achieve quicker turnaround times and, as we move forward and really figure out our operations, it’s really going to benefit our projects and make sure we get the data and testing we need a lot faster."

Transcript

00:00:00 [Music] foreign ERS in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Global Security directorate are using computer-aided design and the latest additive manufacturing techniques to design and build custom components 3D printing Technologies such as selective laser sintering or SLS can rapidly prototype commercially

00:00:25 unavailable parts that can be integrated with unmanned systems or drones over the last decade the lab has deployed its multi-disciplinary teams of Engineers chemists and physicists to advance additive manufacturing techniques like SLS to produce complex structures for a variety of applications once rendered the final product is enveloped in loose powder which can be

00:00:51 recycled to make the next laser-centered piece Engineers attach a custom motor arm housing cover that will protect vital electrical components during operation and add coolant to the Drone to keep its hybrid motor from overheating engineers then prepare the Drone for a test flight the lab's ability to design fabricate

00:01:13 assemble and immediately test unique Parts on site means that Engineers have immediate feedback that will inform their next design and support the laboratory's National Security mission