An Automated Approach to the Design of Small Aerial Systems Using Rapid Manufacturing

Abstract

Traditional engineering design processes focus on the generation of a completely defined solution for a specific set of design requirements. However, in the modern, rapidly evolving battlespace, Soldiers face the need for situationally specific aerial reconnaissance. Recent advances in automated manufacturing techniques, such as 3-D printing, have enabled the design of small unmanned aerial vehicles in which discrete components can be integrated with parametrically scaled and printed components. This approach enables mission-driven sizing, design, and synthesis of a product family using a small set of components. An integrated requirements and design process that separates the Soldier from any design engineering is presented. Mission requirements, performance models, component attributes, and manufacturing constraints are used to suggest a product architecture capable of fulfilling requirements. The process is executed to design an on-demand solution to specific aerial reconnaissance needs. Assembly takes place in a virtual environment prior to physical integration with off-the-shelf components. The resulting vehicle is then flown in a controlled environment to mimic the mission. A comparison of requirements to actual performance is presented. An assessment is made of the proposed capability and conclusions are drawn about the applicability and scalability of the approach.

A Framework for Integrated Analysis, Design, and Rapid Prototyping of Small Unmanned Airplanes

“…This paper seeks to build off of previous tools created by Georiga Tech and ARL by Mangum [7] and develop a process by which a soldier can input requirements and then assemble a vehicle for operation. The work outlined in this paper follows the Aggregate Derivative Approach to Product Design (ADAPt) methodology as described by Fisher [8].…”

Parametric Design, Manufacturing and Simulation of On-Demand Fixed Wing UAVs

“…The relationship between part manufacturing time (using additive manufacturing technology) and wing loading can be generated following the method of Justin et al [6] and this yields a new constraint curve in the constraint diagram. Even though electronic components cannot be easily produced through rapid manufacturing techniques, commercially available off-the-shelf components can be integrated to yield an affordable vehicle design [9]. Once the electronic components are selected (motor, battery, ESC), the power available is essentially set and the relationship between electronic component selection and wing loading can then be derived.…”

3D Printed Personalized Corneal Models as a Tool for Improving Patient’s Knowledge of an Asymmetric Disease

“…Additive manufacturing (AM) is a disruptive and sustainable innovation [10] that allows the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) objects. This term comprises many subcategories, such as rapid prototyping, direct digital manufacturing (DDM) and 3D printing (3DP), among others [11], all of them increasingly useful in automotive [12,13] and aerospace/defense [14,15] industries. When combined with reverse engineering and CAD modeling techniques, AM technologies can end up the design process in engineering, allowing more freedom when designing, higher customization, less waste production and manufacturing complex structures in a faster way [16,17].…”