aurora flight sciences + stratasys manufacture 3D printed jet-powered drone

aurora flight sciences + stratasys manufacture 3D printed jet-powered drone
all images courtesy of stratasys

3D printing manufacturer stratasys has joined forces with aurora flight sciences to deliver, what is believe to be, the fastest and most complex 3D printed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ever assembled. unveiled at the 2015 dubai airshow, the high-speed drone is built using lightweight materials to achieve speeds of 240 km/h. 

the final design of the UAV weights only 15 kilograms and is 80 percent assembled from 3D printed parts. the primary goal was for the team to show the aerospace industry just how quickly companies can go from designing to building to flying a 3D printed jet powered aircraft. this meant using different printing parties and technologies together on one aircraft. stratasys believes 3D printing technology easily supports rapid design iterations that led to a dramatically shortened timeline from the initial concept to the first flight. this also enables cost-effective development of a customized task-specific vehicle, without the cost constraints of low volume production. 

the detachable 3D printed wings test flight were conducted at the salt lake flats