15.6.2020

Israel's first 3D-printed UAV takes to the skies

Israel’s first 3D-printed UAV takes to the skies – link

Source: Jane’s

Article Headlines

The Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have recently produced the country’s first 3D-printed UAV
The joint program by the MoD’s Flight Technologies Department, part of the Directorate for Defense Research and Development, and IAI has seen the production of the SkysPrinter UAV and a successful test flight in December 2019
The electrically powered UAV was made from 26 parts printed using metal, nylon, carbon, and complex materials. These were assembled with glue and fasteners without the need for specialized tools
SkysPrinter’s body is 1.65 m-long, has a wingspan of 1.5 m, and a take-off weight of 7 kg, according to the MoD
Neta Blum, head of the Flight Technologies Department, introduced the idea of a 3D-printed UAV system and the MoD allocated research and development resources over the past year, leading to the test flight
Blum told Janes a printing technique known as selective laser sintering (SLS) allows new designs of the SkysPrinter to be rapidly produced in line with operational feedback from commanders on the ground
SLS technology solidifies polymer materials in precise measurements to produce finalized parts. This way of doing it gives us new production capabilities and significant advantages,” she said
She described a process of field feedback leading to new versions of the UAV within an unprecedentedly short time. If a heavier payload is needed, for example, the design can be adjusted so the UAV has thicker wings for a larger take-off weight