
First drone out of SDU Composite Lab
Already before the composite lab in HCA Airport is finished, it has resulted in a successfully flying drone.
Dylan Cawthorne from SDU UAS Center experimented with using the new composite 3D printer to build a lightweight and aerodynamic drone with few parts: one single-piece wing and one-piece body.
The resulting drone weighs 150 grams and has a wingspan of 30 cm. The drone is designed to transport small cargo up to 10 grams, like medication.
After a few test flights and some adjustments of the balance point and propeller size, the drone is now flying successfully.
Facts:
- The drone was printed on a MarkForged MarkTwo composite 3D printer at SDU UAS Test Center
- Wing print time: 12 hrs.
- Fuselage print time: 5 hrs.