Sep 10, 2014
At University of Virginia researchers and students are using 3D printing technology to make an array of objects. Their recent project, the Razor, is a 3D-printed, hand-launchable, fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle U.A.V. developed by UVA Professor David Sheffler, in partnership with the Mitre Corporation, a McLean-based defense contractor.
The Razor was built with freely available off-the-shelf parts, including an Android smartphone that acts as the central processor, batteries, a motor and an auto-pilot device. David Sheffler and his mechanical engineering students used 3D printing to create the body of the aircraft - the wings, tips, and body.
"We were asked to help investigate the feasibility of producing a UAV with the same capabilities in speed, flight time and payload as other systems currently deployed by the military that could be 3-D-printed and utilize non-proprietary hardware for the control system." explained Sheffler.
"The goal of this research is to show where the state of the art is in creating a capable system with an open-source approach."
Watch the video below, Professor David Sheffler shows off the Razor and talked about several different ways they used to launch the Razor: First through the sun roof of his car at about 25 miles an hour, then off the ground with a bungee cord and finally they managed to launch it by hand. The students can also program where they want the drone to fly and send the information to the cell phone on the drone.
"What this project demonstrates is that we can meet current system demands at a fraction of the cost by leveraging commercial technology while retaining full control of the aircraft design, therefore eliminating the typical supply chain model and fixed architecture. We can do all of this with the ability to also modify it as needed to meet various mission needs. A new configuration of the aircraft can be produced by this method in about a day."
UVA has currently created a rapid prototyping center with funding from Rolls-Royce that includes seven 3D printers. The center acts as a fee-based cost center that anyone can submit a model and get it printed. UVA is incorporating 3D printing technology into the curricula through courses like "Mechatronics" and "Jet Engine Manufacturing."
"That technology, that capability, the sky is the limit, you can design and build just about anything you want," Sheffler stated.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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http://www.3ders.org/articles/20140310-university-of-sheffield-amrc-with-boeing-designs-a-3d-printed-uav.html Yep - here is the 3Ders article
bogdan wrote at 9/11/2014 10:26:40 AM:
How can that huge UAV fly with that tiny motor ? I suppose it is incredibly light, so printed from Carbon Based material ?
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