What is the difference between carbon fiber nylon composite 3D printed drones?
Italian professional company Italdron specializes in the design and production of innovative commercial drones. It has been using 3D printing since 2014 and has further raised the standard for the production of its latest models through cooperation with WASP. The latest application case clearly shows that the correct 3D printing technology is mature enough to ensure reliable final components, while greatly reducing development time and costs.
Italdron was founded by three young entrepreneurs, focusing on the drone service market. Originating from an innovative concept, the company has grown to have the largest number of long-range pilot aircraft (APR) authorized by ENAC (Italian National Civil Aviation Authority) to fly, and is the first Italian manufacturer to become a professional drone.
WASP is a 3D printing company founded by Massimo Moretti in 2012. The company is well-known worldwide for its highly versatile Delta WASP 3D printer, which can easily adapt to all production needs from small to large, as well as a series of requirements specifically for the Industry 4.0 framework.
In order to meet the development and production needs of drones, Italdron decided to turn to WASP's 3D printing system and integrate it into the production process. The cooperation between WASP and Italdron has lasted for many years, starting with rapid prototyping and then gradually shifting to final component production.
Italdron currently has three WASP printers, two Delta WASP 2040 and the latest generation Delta WASP 2040 Industrial 4.0, which is the most suitable for printing technical materials. Industrial 4.0 series printers can be networked, so they can be managed and printed directly from any mobile phone, tablet or laptop.
The innovative print bin system can control temperatures up to 80 ° C, and uses "hot and cold technology" for mechanical cooling, which can optimally print advanced polymers and composite materials. In addition, the camera inside the printer is used to remotely monitor the printing progress. Thanks to these innovations, the printer can work 24 hours a day while producing prototypes for testing and flying drone components, allowing the Italdron team to evaluate its function and detect any mechanical problems. In this way, the team can get tangible feedback on the project in a very short time. Delta WASP printer has strong mechanical properties, so it can print 24 hours a day, stable and uninterrupted.
Currently, the main parts of all drones are assembled using 3D printed carbon fiber nylon composite construction. Using carbon fiber nylon as the main material of the parts, it has excellent flexibility and resistance even at high temperatures. This is essential to ensure that each Italdron drone can operate efficiently in the open air environment, which is affected by diverse climatic conditions.
3D printing represents one of the key production tools of the future at the industrial level. Through perfect integration with technologies such as CNC and other machine tools, it plays a more important role in the production process. Italdron's drones are assembled from components made of carbon, aluminum and 3D printed carbon fiber nylon. It can greatly reduce the weight of the drone body without sacrificing efficiency and ruggedness.
The collaboration between Italdron and WASP is not only a perfect example of "Made in Italy" innovation, but also fully demonstrates how additive manufacturing (3D printing) solutions can truly become a technology driver that can help solve critical problems and improve traditional production processes.