EADS Innovation Works presents ALM technologies at Farnborough

At Farnborough Airshow, EADS Innovation Works is presenting the prototype of a portable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) produced by Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) technology, also known as 3D-printing. The plane with a wingspan of approximately. 1.5 meters has been designed by students from the University of Leeds. The small, portable drone will be capable of being controlled via wireless video communication over a short distance. Powered by batteries, it could serve as a tool for surveillance, search and rescue or disaster control. Using ALM technology in the production of such a small drone opens new possibilities for aerodynamic optimizations such as wing twist, which would otherwise be difficult and expensive to realize for an aircraft of this scale. Different, detachable wings can be “printed” in a relatively short time to adapt the UAV to missions with different requirements. The four students from the University of Leeds’ Faculty of Engineering have developed an initial concept of the UAV, created the design and performed an aerodynamic analysis under the supervision of EADS expert Martin Muir. In order to take advantage of the ALM technology the students carried out a detailed design of the wing through topology and aerodynamic optimisation. This allows building […]
EADS Innovation Works presents ALM technologies at Farnborough