Design and Development of Pilot Production Capabilities for 3D Printed UAVs – Team 3

Overview

In Summer 2021, CIMP-3D is hoping to launch a pilot production of small 3D printed drones or unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) that can be used for demonstration and testing of remote operation and flight in a 5G-enabled environment. This team was focused on the setting up the basics for the manufacturing process for this pilot production. This team was responsible for performing a market survey to evaluate drones that currently exist on the market, setting up the manufacturing process for these drones, creating a floorplan for the manufacturing, along with an overview of some 5G capabilities for manufacturing and for the drone.

Objectives

– Perform a Market Survey to evaluate existing drones on the market.

– Develop a bill of materials and a process plan for the manufacturing process.

– Develop a floorplan for the manufacturing process.

– Evaluate potential 5G technologies for integration into the drone and manufacturing process.

Approach

The first step in the project was performing the market survey. Based on its results, the team decided to produce a model based on the HD1 quadcopter from Rotor Riot. Using a bill of materials based on the HD1, the team determined which parts could be manufactured using 3D printers and which parts had to be bought directly from vendors. Nine of the drone’s parts would be manufactured using in-house 3D printers, one part would be manufactured using an in-house desktop lathe, while all the remaining electronic components would be bought separately. In addition, the parts of the drone that would be manufactured by the 3D-printers were designed in SolidWorks and then run through a slicing software to approximate the printing times for each of those pieces.
After acquiring the dimensions for one of the available locations in Innovation Park, a floorplan was designed created. Due to the quantity of machines needed for manufacturing and the amount of space required for assembly, the location could potentially be quite crowded. In order to maximize the efficiency, the station lineup would be a continues U shape, which would not only provide the maximum space for assembly, but also allow the workers stations to be somewhat flexible so they could shift around as needed.
The final phase of the project was evaluating the potential integration of 5G technology into both the drone and the manufacturing process. Integration of 5G into the drone allows for increased bandwidth and lower latency when transmitting information from the drone to the flight controller. As a result, the drone can experience increased flight distance, including potentially flying beyond the line of sight of the controller, increased capabilities for the drone’s sensors, including real-time processing and analysis, and the capability of using a 5G-enabled phone for the drone’s flight controller. Regarding 5G integration for manufacturing, there is the possibility for integration into three primary areas. The first being industrial control and automation, which involves the 3D printers being able to communicate with 5G enabled devices for processing incoming prints. There is also planning design systems, involving machines capable of assembling parts automatically and communicating with cellular devices if any errors arise. Lastly there is field devices, 5G-enabled machines capable of detecting breakdowns before they occur and notifying staff to prevent them.

Outcomes

– Completed the market survey and selected the Rotor Riot HD1 as the baseline for manufacturing.

– Developed the bill of materials and a process plan for the manufacturing process.

– Developed a floorplan for the manufacturing process.

– Evaluated the possibilities for 5G technology integration