A few weeks ago the internet was buzzing about a new 3D printed aerial drone created by British researchers. Just after the drone was shown to the world, we all got word that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had gone missing somewhere off the coast of Asia, with 239 people on board. Fast forward 16 days, and the plane still has not been found. The likely scenario is that it crashed somewhere over the Gulf of Thailand or South China Sea, but any number of less likely possibilities may have also taken place.
British researchers at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield, who created the 3d printed unmanned aerial vehicle, claim that such a drone could be used for emergency search operations such as that of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
Researcher, Mark Cocking stated, ‘With the recent aircraft that’s been lost at sea, if you had a fleet of these you could send them out [looking for the aircraft or debris] in 24 hours.”
The researchers were able to print the drone with ABS plastics, saving a tremendous amount of time and effort over traditional manufacturing methods. They, of course, don’t have dozens of these printed out ready to participate in a search mission, however the difficulty in finding the lost Malaysian aircraft certainly should prioritize this technology for similar future operations.
The drone, which was 3d printed , weighs just 2kg, is approximately 1.5 meters in width, and was printed out on a Stratasys Fortus 900mc FDM printer. There is still a lot of work to be done before this drone or ones similar could function as a search aircraft, but the team is making substantial progress each day. Discuss the possible uses of 3D printed drones in search operations at 3dprintboard. Check out a test flight of this drone as a glider, without a propulsion system below:
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
You May Also Like
PyroGenesis Receives First By-the-Ton Order for Titanium 3D Printing Powder
PyroGenesis Canada Inc., a Montreal-based advanced materials company specializing in metal powders for additive manufacturing (AM), announced that it received its first by-the-ton order, from an unnamed American customer. The...
KASK Officially Introduces New Elemento Helmet with 3D Printed Technology
Since the emergence of additive manufacturing (AM), the cycling community has been one of its earliest adopters for end parts. We have seen everything from 3D printed helmets to 3D...
Chinese Metal 3D Printing Companies Make a Splash RAPID + TCT 2023
At this year’s RAPID + TCT event, there was an overwhelming presence of Chinese manufacturers of metal laser powder bed fusion (PBF) machines. For some, it was their first time...
China Prioritizes Advanced Manufacturing Clusters in Latest Response to Biden’s Economic Strategy
As if to deliberately draw attention to the fact that we are in a new Cold War era, the Chinese government has formally announced that it, like the US, will...
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.