Partnered with Shapeways, the makers of MTT were able to use 3D printing to cut substantial time and costs in their production process by rapidly prototyping designs and printing strong, end-use ready parts that can resist the elements.

We interviewed Michael Martel from MTT to find out how MTT has utilized Shapeways’ 3D printing technology to ramp up production with speed and efficiency.

What is your name and your role at My Track Technology?

My name is Michael Martel and I’m in charge of the MTT product development.

How did My Track Technology start?

10 years ago my father and I were discussing a product that can enhance human power but as small as possible to be able to go where a person can walk. The main goal was to be able to get someone that is injured out of deep forest and at the same time bring reduced mobility persons to extreme places.

What kinds of customers can MTT benefit?

Our customers are very broad. First, there is the military for rescue and material carrying. Mining for carrying material underground without any fumes and CO2 that has to be ventilated out of the mine. Wildfire suppression help, carrying water pumps and equipment. Also fat bike trails grooming, for agriculture use on wet fields or carrying a freezer in the field for fruits and vegetable harvesting. Replacing a generator on construction sites with MTT-154 onboard 2000W inverter, and much much more. 

How did you find Shapeways?

Four years ago one of my electronic employees bought a cheap FDM printer that he assembled himself. At that time I was very skeptical of 3D printing, I was thinking it was only for toys and figurines. Nevertheless I let him try some joystick parts. I was at the time building it with a laser cut aluminum sheet, bent and welded to make an enclosed case. His part with FDM (PLA) was so successful that we used it for our vehicle for about a year, very amazing. The problem with this part was the surface finish, time to print and resistance to wet environments. I was so impressed by this test that I decided to learn more on 3D printing methods, suppliers and more. This is when I came to Shapeways’ website and was very impressed by the technical information and production capabilities.

I then decided to manufacture a couple of parts at Shapeways and I have never been disappointed since. Shapeways is not the least expensive but I tested many suppliers over the years and I did a lot of cold temperature testing. Shapeways always has the strongest and nicer finished parts. 

Unless you have $100,000 or more to invest in an SLS or HP printer you will never have the quality, robustness, precision and surface finish of a Shapeways part.

What are the benefits of using Shapeways over an in-office printer?

When buying a printer you have an amazing amount of choice offered to you. The problem is to have a printer for all of the applications. The size of the parts, the surface finish, the resistance and the productivity of this printer are all to be considered. Unless you have $100,000 or more to invest in an SLS or HP printer you will never have the quality, robustness, precision and surface finish of a Shapeways part. Shapeways is a one-stop shop for 3D printing projects. They have multiple machines to accommodate all the requirements of all special projects. So for us Shapeways has been a great partner to reach all of our goals, present and future.

What are the benefits of 3D printing with Shapeways over other manufacturing methods?

Speed, cost and simplicity. When our 3D drawing is finished we don’t have to produce fabrication drawings. We just upload the 3D file on Shapeways’ website. Very simple. We also do not have to build a mold for 1 up to 50 parts. It’s very great cost saving. Later when the design is perfect we can build a mold and be confident that the mold will meet our requirements. We are also not limited to a particular shape with 3D printing, practically every shape is possible. Finally, the precision, repeatability and tolerances are better than most of the others manufacturing methods.

“The precision, repeatability and tolerances [of 3D printing technology] are better than most of the others manufacturing methods

What aspect of My Track Technology production do you use 3D printing and Shapeways for?

We are right now moving to production and most of the parts that had previously been tested with 3D printing are now thermo or injection molded. 3D printing saves us an amazing amount of money by testing different designs quickly. When the design is confirmed the mold can be built with the peace of mind that this part works perfectly well.

The other 10 parts that are needed for an MTT-154 2020 will continue to be built with 3D printing technologies. Up to about 100 MTT-154 units per year it totally makes sense to print parts in Nylon. We save the initial cost of the mold and we can design parts that are impossible to manufacture with a traditional mold.

What materials do you use?

Right now we mostly use SLS, with Nylon PA12 (Versatile Plastic), dyed black. We also use rubber like TPU to create custom grommets.

How does working with Shapeways affect the speed of your manufacturing?

In our MTT machine there are about 20 plastic parts. Last year we were in a very big rush to do a test with the US military and we had no time to build 20 molds for every single part. We saved at least 6 months (concept, drawing for molding, mold building and parts production) by 3D printing with Shapeways.

How about any cost savings?

For 20 plastic parts the average cost of a mold is $3500 * 20 = 70,000 USD. This money would have been a very big gamble knowing that we were unsure if these parts would meet the functionality, design and resistance we needed. $70K is a lot of money for a startup. It’s manageable, but $70K without any guarantee that this mold will be useful in the future is unacceptable.

What is the most important aspect of working with Shapeways for you?

First, when we want a strong part I know that Shapeways will not disappoint us. Also the website is very easy to use, and I like the freedom to choose the shipping you want depending on the requirement of a particular project. The quality control is also excellent because I never return a part. Finally, the service when I need information is excellent.

Can you share any current or future goals for My Track Technology?

The goal right now is really to move to production and send machines to the customers that have reserved these vehicles in the past. The product we sell right now is our MTT-154 2020, with the possibilities to have only one unit with a trailer/sled or with the flip of a switch multiple units coupled together for special military and industrial applications.

Finally, we have orders for some small MTT-like robots. The frame will be built entirely in SLS printing at Shapeways very soon.

The next stage in 2021-2022 will be remote control with satellite or 4G and autonomous capabilities.

Efficient Manufacturing with 3D Printing

My Track Technology’s vast range of potential applications will see it become an essential tool for assisting humans in navigating challenging terrains and environments. Using 3D printing has made MTT’s production process much more efficient and affordable and shows how 3D printing can contribute to smarter manufacturing.

Find out how Shapeways can help with your rapid prototyping and robotics manufacturing needs.

The post How My Track Technology Uses 3D Printing for Their Remote All-Terrain Vehicle appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

The Story Behind Shape Robotics

It all began in 2011, at the Technical University of Denmark – just outside of Copenhagen. Moises Pacheco partnered with and began collaboration with David Johan Christensen, an Associate Professor and Robot Researcher. It became clear that Moises and David shared the same vision: to develop a robot system that was extremely easy-to-use – even for younger school pupils.

The two developers were inspired by previous projects with modular robots that could repair themselves, as well as a project they had in progress with LEGO®, which was to develop new, digital products. This became Moises’ Ph.D. project, and as the years passed, interest in using the robot system Fable grew ever greater. At the end of 2015, David, Moises and Helene Christensen, a project manager, set up the spin-out company Shape Robotics and Fable was ready for the market. Their mission remains today: to make Fable as widely available as possible to students globally. This has been made possible with funding from the Technical University of Denmark and the Danish Ministry of Education – and they are well on their way. The Fable robotics system has since appeared on the top Microsoft Education Apps list and has also launched successfully with partners in the United Kingdom, USA, Italy, France and Mexico with more being added to the global list at a rapid pace.

Students learning how to build robots. Image by Shape Robotics

How 3D Printing Evolved Our Business

Using 3D printing parts has significantly expanded the usability of our product. Among other things, it gives the students a greater opportunity to use their own imagination to build robots by using the 3D printed parts in their design. Shapeways was the first 3D printing supplier that we discovered. We use the platform for all stages of production, from early stage prototyping to end use products. Now we can easily test different designs, modifying each based on our customers’ feedback and then quickly releasing the update. With Shapeways, we see greater accuracy in the parts we order and we’re able to easily scale up production, ordering any amount we need, no matter how large. For our company, dimensional accuracy is very important; so are aesthetics. Strength is also important, as our products are often being handled by students as early as third grade, which means falling on the floor often.

We’ve tried a number of Shapeways materials, including steel, versatile plastic, and fine detail plastic. The versatile plastic is the best for us, as it is more suitable for the way our products are being used, due to its mechanical properties. The value of versatile plastic and its high quality mechanical properties make this material ideal for our robots. Fable has already come so far but this is only the beginning. We are looking forward to what the future holds for Fable and Education on an even larger, global scale.

Interested in 3D Printing Robots for Your Business?

Find out how Shapeways can help make that happen.

The post How Building Robots Lets Students’ Imaginations Run Wild appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

• Walking, running, climbing, or jumping
• Spatial reasoning
• Holding or gripping objects
• Basic problem-solving

If you’re looking to develop a greater understanding of how 3D printing is being applied to building robots, there are some great educational and fun DIY bots you can build now. Most builds are easy enough and can be completed within one weekend.

PLEN2

The PLEN2 robot

The PLEN Project was created by Natsuo Akazawa in Japan, originally as a Kickstarter campaign. Akazawa’s robot design quickly took off, and today there are multiple iterations of this fun humanoid robot.

The PLEN2 robot stands about 8” tall and has 18 different joints, allowing it to move and articulate fluidly. Customers can purchase DIY kits that include everything needed except the 3d printed body, or complete kits that include the body parts for people who don’t have access to a 3D printer.

Once your robot is ready for action, it can walk, dance, and interact with you. It’s a great starting point for those looking to learn more about robotics and 3D printing.

Otto the Biped

Taking inspiration from everyone’s favorite robot pal, Bob the Biped, Otto is a fun and easy-to-make 3D printed robot that anyone can make.

Otto is an open source robot, so you’ll be able to find all the plans you need for printing and building your own robot with ease. The body and limbs of Otto are entirely 3D printed, and Arduino controllers and mini servos are used to control the robot’s movements.

Once the parts are printed, Otto can be assembled in as little as one hour with just a screwdriver, making it one of the easiest robots to build and learn about. Like most small DIY robots, Otto is primarily designed to help children reinforce STEM skills, but that doesn’t mean adults can’t get in on the fun, either.

EEZYbotARM

For those looking for a robot build that they can customize to tackle different tasks, the EEZYbotARM from Italian designer Carlo Franciscone may be perfect for you. This easy to build robotic arm is easy to print and assemble, and it’s capable of tackling a myriad of different tasks you can program yourself.

This robot requires 17 different 3D printed parts along with a controller, servos, and a few nuts and bolts. Once the printing is complete, this robot can be built in just a few hours. Once the basic robot is complete, you can experiment with different grippers to better equip the robot to handle different tasks.

Poppy Project

The Poppy Humanoid

Created by Matthieu Lapeyre, the Poppy Humanoid is one of the most human-like robots we’ve discussed, and with 25 different actuators, large cameras, and an LED screen, it’s also the most human-like robot we’ve covered.

This robot is designed to be fully hacked for whatever purposes you can dream up, so it’s one of the easiest robots available to program and customize. All of the body parts are 3D printable, and it’s fully open source so anyone can create and customize their own Poppy Humanoid.

If you’re looking to tackle a more advanced robot that you’ll be able to program in tons of useful ways, the Poppy Humanoid may be your best bet.

Kame the Quadruped

In addition to being one of the most adorable robots ever, Kame the quadruped is also one of the most advanced walking robots that you can build yourself.

Each piece of the robot’s body is entirely 3D printed, and it can be controlled with a NodeMCU or an Arduino controller. High-speed servos allow Kame to master any movements you program. He can hop, run, jump, or walk with different gaits.

Kame is a great project for more advanced builders as well as anyone looking for a challenge.

How Some of The World’s Most Advanced Robots Utilize 3D Printing

DIY robots are a great way to get acquainted with the application of 3D printing in the robotics industry. For more sophisticated builds, leading corporations across a variety of industries are beginning to harness the power of 3D printed robots. Let’s take a closer look at how advanced robots are using 3D printing.

Shape Robotics

The Fable robot by Shape Robotics

Fable is a modular construction system that students can use to create their own robots. Shape Robotics utilizes 3D printing parts manufactured by Shapeways to expand the usability of their robotic products. Among other things, it gives the students a greater opportunity to use their own imagination to build robots by using the 3D printed parts in their design. Students can assemble modules together in many different configurations to build custom robot bodies, use inbuilt sensors and program the robot’s movements.

KUKA Robotics

As one of the leading automation specialists in the world, KUKA Robotics manufactures robotics for the automotive, aerospace, and general manufacturing industries. Considering that each industry has unique demands, it’s rare that KUKA can employ the same style of robot across multiple industries.

But 3D printing is making it easier for them to adapt to changes, and they presently use 3D printing to produce the end effectors (the component which grips, grabs, or wields) for their robots to enable them to complete their highly specialized task.

Siemen’s Spiders

Siemen’s Spiders (SiSpis) may look like cute quadruped robots at first glance, but these cartoonish robots mean big things for the growing 3D printing industry. One of the largest concerns of 3D printing has been its ability to scale in size. But these little spiders are up to the challenge, and they’re leading the way for large scale additive manufacturing.

These robots can work collaboratively to create structures and surfaces on a scale that was previously unattainable with traditional 3D printing. For larger jobs, hundreds of robots will be able to work collaboratively, using their onboard cameras and lasers to interpret their environment, determine their working area, and begin working on their assigned tasks.

BionicANT

The aptly named BionicANT takes its cues from the humble insect it shares a name with. These robots work together collaboratively to tackle tasks that would be either too large or too complex for a single BionicANT to handle.

This robot looks exactly like an ant, just several times larger. Each component is 3D printed, and MIDs are used to connect individual components. This also adds a very cool visual appeal to these robots beyond its functional purpose. Each robot is equipped with cameras, sensors, and a radio module, which allows it to communicate with other robots.

Working together, these robots can conquer complex tasks with ease, and it’s easy to see how they could play a major role in virtually every industry moving forward.

InMoov

In the world of consumer robots, InMoov is one of the most impressive 3D printed robots there are. Each component of the robot’s body is entirely 3D printed, and those components are controlled with Arduino microcontrollers. Amazingly, anyone can download the files needed to print their own InMoov robot.

The robot works on the open source MyRobotLab framework, which allows tech-savvy users to customize the robots’ function. InMoov robots can see, hear, speak, and make independent movements. Considering the robot was developed by Gael Langevin, a French sculptor with no prior robotics experience, it’s easy to see the potential for open source robots like this in the future.

ASPIR

The ASPIR robot was developed by John Choi of Choitech, a new robotics startup. This humanoid robot stands just over four feet tall, and every piece of its body is 3D printed. This open-source robot is designed to bridge the gap between prohibitively expensive research-grade robots, and more affordable humanoid robots that anyone can afford.

The robot’s primary purpose is as a positive reinforcement tool and study buddy, and Choi hopes that it will inspire more girls to enter the field of research in robotics, which is currently a primary focus for his team.

3D Print Your Next Robot

3D printing has had a significant impact on the robotics industry. Perhaps best of all, these new technologies are available to everyone, and anyone with a bright idea and some basic robotics knowledge can create their own amazing 3D printed robot.

Ready to get started with your own robot? Find out how Shapeways can help make that happen.

The post 3D Print Your Next Robot appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Here are just a few of the cool projects that community members like you are launching in 2018:

Artist Claudio Settiis bringing a Viking back to life

Chris McConnell of M-Customs is building a dropped and chopped hot rod truck

Wayne Losey of ModiBot is planning new BriXleev building blocks

Katie Larocca turned a grazing animal into a keepsake box

Julian Arnold of Jewelled Seas Untold is updating the reminder string — as a beautiful ring

Patricia Castillo from CatDragStudio is building a better Frantic Krug Robot

Roxy Rahel of Morphology is finalizing her first bracelet of 2018

Conner Austin is working on an adjustable Universal iPhone Cover

Pop Goes the Monkey designed a pair of Death Team: M2a Troop Tank Doors

Death Team: M2a Troop Tank Doors

Are you still waiting to start that project you’ve been dreaming of? We’re here to help. You can explore our materials to see what’s possible, start printing now if you already have a 3D file, hire a designer to turn your idea into a 3D model, get help in our forums, or learn 3D design in our Tutorials hub and Magazine. And don’t forget to share your progress with the hashtag #Create2018 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The post 9 Amazing #Create2018 Projects appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

3D printed parts meet traditionally manufactured parts in Preceyes’ first-of-its-kind surgical robot

Thijs Meenink had a challenge both enormous and microscopic: create a solution for eye surgeons to perform procedures at a scale never before attempted — a much, much smaller scale. However, the size of the problem he was addressing was huge: untreatable retinal diseases that affect 50 to 75 million people.

Meenink co-founded Preceyes to develop a new kind of precision robotic solution, one that could both assist surgeons and mitigate the risks of human error in the most, well, precise of surgeries: vitreoretinal procedures that take surgical instruments inside the eye. “These are the most delicate, and the most difficult kind of procedures within eye surgery, and even within microsurgery,” he told us. “The stability and precision, plus the smoothness of using a robot really contribute to the abilities of the surgeon.”

Pioneering a technology based around hardware iterations has traditionally been a costly endeavor. For Preceyes, creating a new generation of ultra-precise, first-of-their-kind surgical robots necessitated a new way of working. “The complete system is totally new. There is no part that was already available; the entire system is built from scratch.” Shapeways would play a key role in bringing it to life.

“I started out experimenting with Shapeways over five years ago. First I made one thing, then a few things per month, and it just kind of snowballed. I soon saw how useful it could become.” As Meenink developed Preceyes’ robots, 3D printing became more than a means of creating parts. Without Shapeways, the robots simply would not exist.

“It started with prototyping — just to hold something and get a feel for its shape and mechanisms. And testing to see if things work like you’d thought. But, when you get more familiar with it, you make real products. And you have a lot of freedom. Now, I think we have 60 products made by Shapeways that are in the robotic system, in nylon, aluminum, and stainless steel. In the beginning you aren’t really familiar with the process and the possibilities. I was expecting to receive parts that were very weak. But that changed: the parts weren’t weak, and tolerances have only gotten better and better. They simply work.”

One of the best illustrations of the power of 3D printing in the robots’ continued development are the covers that protect its most delicate operations. “The robot makes weird movements. The space the robot moves in is much larger than the actual robot. With complex shapes enabled by 3D printing, you can make sure that this space is bounded, keeping the system small. This impacts and improves the efficiency of space, cost, and many other things. This is not possible with other production methods — it’s way too expensive to make these covers from metal or plastic using conventional manufacturing. 3D printing is a really perfect system.”

The Preceyes Surgical System uses a revolutionary technique in which the motions of the physician are mimicked at micro scale within the eye of the patient. Meenink is a mechanical designer, so the ergonomics of the human-computer interface would pose a unique challenge. “The surgeon holds the motion controller (or joystick), and the gripper on the joystick must have a very ergonomic shape. I had to work through five or six iterations to get there. All were made by Shapeways. Quickly testing and adapting designs, week by week, easily iterating, works so well with Shapeways.”

“I frequently recommend Shapeways to others. The freedom of design, the speed, the large custom parts, large bounding box, and prices — even up to 100 pieces, it’s still way cheaper to use 3D printing. And there’s no other supplier that has this kind of transparency of production and delivery. It’s always consistent.”

Now, Preceyes is preparing to take its robots to market as “the very first company in the world to make a system for robotic eye surgery that will be available commercially in operating rooms,” but the research and development process won’t end there. And it will continue to be enabled by 3D printing. “When I’m designing something new, I try to put the most 3D printed parts and the least conventional parts. Cost, speed, the ability to combine parts, etc. all play a part. With 3D printing, the possibilities are endless.”

He also reminds us that the promise of medical robotics is just beginning to be fulfilled. And while some fear the power of these technologies, Meenink, for one, welcomes the rise of the bots. “Don’t be scared of robots; theirs are better than human hands. They will not take over the world, but they will assist surgeons for the better.”

start growing your business with shapeways

See the Preceyes system in action here:

The post “Don’t be scared of robots” How Preceyes Surgical Robotics Define Medicine’s New Frontiers appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Homeless crustaceans are no more! Hermit crabs finally get to carry their favorite tiny cities on their tiny backs. Artist Aki Inomata used CT scanning to create detailed, miniatures skylines using 3D printing. And the crabs have never been happier.

Image via Facebook

Leaf it to the scientists

National Geographic covered how scientists used spinach leaves to replicate a vascular system, then grew human tissue around the “spinach scaffolding,” which solves a lot of existing issues with 3D printing methods for skin tissue. With the veins of the leaf enabling the moving of liquids (whether water or blood) through the cells, this is an excellent step towards how we might be able to more accurately replace damaged human tissue. And, it’s definitely the most innovative way to get your greens.

Creepy, Crawly, Roboty

The future’s not far away where everything will be a touchscreen and everyone will have “robot skin.” Which is why MIT researchers developed a device inspired by the golden tortoise beetle, which changes color when poked. As the device’s crossbars stretch, it chances color, recognizing its position. You have to see it to… understand it.

The post The Week in 3D Printing: Shellfish Artists, Flexible Science, and Straight Up Bugs appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

This week in 3D printing, we discovered why green screens and St. Patrick’s Day don’t mix, enjoyed some magical dancing sculptures, got a tiny bit scared by some hyper-realistic robots, and watched some holograms try to get in on the 3D printing game.

No word on if it’ll let you rewind last night

Artist Toki’s stop motion sculpture is entirely 3D printed, and incredibly intricate. When light passes through it, an animated dancer appears, similar to a zoetrope. He says he’s trying to express the relationship between time and movement, and to “capture the beauty and nature of time itself.”

And they say robots won’t take over the world…

This skeleton may look like one of the 3D printed hosts in Westworld, but believe it or not, it’s even realer. Weta Workshop’s been creating hyper-realistic endoskeletons for use in movies and beyond, bringing tangibility to sci-fi.

Now read this section in a Dr. Evil voice

VentureBeat’s Dean Takahashi interviewed Xbox co-founder Seasmus Blackley’s about how he’s working on a way to enable instant 3D printing — with the use of augmented reality and something AR firm Daqri has dubbed as “software defined light.” Much like how lasers inside a 3D printer fuse plastic, Blackley is working to project holograms into tanks of monomer, solidifying the parts touched by the light.

The post The Week in 3D Printing appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

Toglefritz’s 3D Printed Quadroped is one of the most fully realized DIY bots we’ve seen to use 3D printed parts. A Playstation 2 controller, hobby servos, and Arduino-compatible microcontrollers under the hood bring the dog-sized robot to life. And when we say life, we’re not exaggerating:

Check out all the winners (and download their designs) at Instructables, and share your latest projects with us in the comments.

The post This Dog-Sized 3D Printed Robot Might Haunt Your Dreams appeared first on Shapeways Blog.

We will be attending the EAA Airventure Live convention in Oshkosh this week. So as this week will be all about wings, we thought we would look into one of our top growing communities of flying makers, the DIY drone community, and share their story with you.

“I’ll be back!”
The Terminator, 1984

We all know that line from the movie.  And as we are seeing more forms of artificial intelligence and other robotic incarnations, science fiction and the media want us to believe that the Terminator [1]  will indeed be back soon. One of the most reproved and misunderstood of these robots are probably Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, as they are more commonly known. But what no one is showing us is that this technology is not being molded by some dark overlord like “Skynet ”, but more likely by the hobbyist with a 3D printer next door. Embracing the “Maker Movement” and open source development,  3D printing and personal drone communities are bringing together two industries that are growing bigger than the sum of their parts.

“Disruptive technology” is a term coined by Harvard Business School Professor Clayton M. Christensen describing an emerging technology that significantly alters the landscape and creates a completely new industry around it.  The web, cloud computing, cell phones, MP3s, and Wi-Fi are all examples of disruptive technologies that we probably cannot live without in today’s world.

Both drones and 3D printing are considered disruptive technologies and together will radically change our perception of both drone technology and the use of 3D printing.  So just what makes them work so well together – 3D printed drones? Well, yes, this is definitely being done, but it is not the real game-changer. Let’s first inoculate the perception we have of UAV technology and then bring in the alchemy of 3D printing.

DJI Phantom 1.5 – 24mm Battery Door by BrianSelfDesign

UAVs are flown remotely with no one onboard. This allows the pilot the safety of not being airborne and also dramatically improves the visibility and reach of the pilot as UAVs can go where manned airborne vehicles often cannot. The UAV uses computers, sensors, cameras , and GPS to locate itself and feeds back data to the pilot, which could include its position, the terrain, the conditions, and video footage around it.

Probably the most common use of UAVs is for film. The recent Winter Games in Sochi would not have been as dramatic if we did not have the drone’s eye view of the skier in midair. UAVs are not only cheaper than aerial photography from a helicopter, but they can also come much closer and stay close due to their speed. In the US, using UAVs for commercial filming purposes is illegal, but it does not stop amateur filmmakers from shooting some of the most breathtaking and brazen footage currently to be found on the web. Digital cameras such as the GoPro are attached to the drone and then the only thing stopping you from soaring with the eagles is battery life and range.

Credit: fieldofplay.eu

There have also been a couple of more playful uses suggested such as UAVs delivering pizza, beer, and your online store orders. But it is not all fun and games; UAVs are also put to work. They allow scientists to explore weather, farmers to inspect their crops or stock, and they enable rescue missions to find missing people and deliver provisions in disaster areas.

Now, let us add 3D printing to the drone mix, or we could probably just 3D print a drone. University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) has produced a UAV that can be printed and in the air in 24 hours. Without 3D printing, the same drone would take 120 hours to produce, there would be material waste, and there wouldn’t be options to print one or many. This same team is also researching disposable 3D printed drones that could be created inexpensively and be in the air on a mission, whether for surveillance or rescue, within 24 hours.

So there we have drones and 3D printed drones, but now we can take this to next dimension: 3D printing drones. Imperial College London’s Aerial Robotics Lab has developed a “robotic quadcopter that can extrude polyurethane foam while in flight.” The researchers are hoping that this drone could potentially fill holes that need patching or build completely new structures in unreachable locations.

Credit: BAE Drone

Aerospace company BAE Systems predicts that by 2040 we’ll have airplanes with sophisticated 3D printers onboard that can 3D print UAVs on demand and to scope. So soon we will have flying 3D printers printing 3D printed drones that can 3D print. This is probably not what they refer to as a feedback loop in technology, but it comes pretty close.

However the real alchemy (or disruptive innovation) of 3D printing in the world of UAVs is neither the scientific inventions nor the futuristic possibilities, but rather lies within the rapidly growing DIY community of both UAV and 3D printing enthusiasts.

They have formed a participatory partnership that supports each other’s ideas, shares research, actively contributes, offers mentorship, and most importantly relinquishes ownership. This model of community-led research and development is not new, but it has never been in such control of an entire industry’s future.

A pioneer in this regard is Chris Anderson, who quit his job as editor and chief of the revered Wired magazine to join a then 20-year-old Jordi Muñoz, with whom he had only communicated via email to start 3D Robotics, the leading personal UAV manufacturer. Anderson is also a fervent backer of 3D printing and expounds the idea of a new industrial revolution in his book Makers, about a movement started by people who are once again taking design and development into their own hands. In particular, he refers to 3D printing that makes manufacturing faster and more accessible.

Credit: Aarti Shahani

Before Anderson started 3D Robotics, he had a personal interest in UAVs. A couple of failed attempts at impressing his children with a homemade drone led him to start a community of amateur tinkerers of the UAV persuasion so they could share their findings in this relatively new field and also commiserate on their failings. “By building a team in public,” he says, “you build communities first and open source them, you do not have to find the right people. They find you.” 

Anderson started DIYDrones.com in 2007, and the community currently has over 55 thousand contributing members  and with approximately 1,000 new personal drones being launched every month, this community is flying high.

At about the same time that Anderson was starting DIY Drones, another company had its own story of success in a skeptical market: Shapeways. This company originated in an incubator within Dutch conglomerate Philips. And Shapeways itself is something of an incubator — a 3D printing marketplace that allows for others  to make a business out of the work they produce. Community members are given free reign to upload any 3D printed file to the Shapeway’s website, 3D print in a myriad of materials and colors using Shapeways’ industrial printers and then use the infrastructure to host their own online stores and manage the logistics.

UltraLight 20cm Landing Gear by BrianSelfDesign

3D printing is a natural fit for the drone community because of the relatively new and unexplored nature of both industries. UAVs would not be developing so quickly if it weren’t for 3D printers and their ability to rapidly prototype and produce the variety of modifications and additions that are needed for things like camera attachments and battery cases for extended flying time. As soon as a new use is defined for a drone, they can immediately test or manufacture it. And in turn, there’s a whole new market and community for the 3D printing industry.

Shapeways has an active relationship with its own community as well. The suggestions and feedback from the community of Shop Owners and Shoppers are regularly addressed not only through dialogue but also by being implementing into development strategies for its online platforms and production facilities. It was also in these community dialogues (together with clear evidence of its booming sales reports) that Shapeways realized what was once considered a niche hobby began turning into a full-blown disruptive force in the marketplace. Drone bodies, modification and drone accessories, have become a significant portion of its current shop owner stock and sales.

Phantom 1.5 Battery Door by d3wey

Fatshark Camera Holder with GoPro Mount by d3wey

When you search through the Shop Owners on Shapeways.com, you can see that they are clearly part of this participatory and global community. D3wey, a designer from the UK, asks for feedback on all his products to improve the quality and he proudly states that his designs are more for fun than for profit. He produces everything from GoPro attachments to the battery doors that allow bigger batteries and personalization like dragon or skull designs.

Canopy for HeliMax 1SQ Quadcopter by spike2131

DJI Phantom Landing Gear by maikelsdesign

Another active community member, Simensays, produces spare parts, camera equipment, landing gear, and compass mounts to name but a few. These DIY drone enthusiast are clearly more interested in making interesting videos, tracking their extreme sports adventures, or just good old-fashion showboatery than any of the other concerns we might have around drones.

The DIY drone community alone flies more drones than the total number of US military drones at present. Thus the power to ‘demilitarize and democratize‘ the development of UAVs really lies in the hands of the DIY drone community. Inside these communities everyone is a moderator that can encourage good behavior, discipline bad behavior, contest legal decisions, and build software or hardware together. And for the first time, there is communal intellectual property which all own and protect.

And herein lies the true alchemy: every single member of the DIY drone community has a team of 55,000 peaceful and fun-loving inventors, scientist, homemakers, engineers, teachers, and artists—to name but a few—behind them, that are all building and industry with everyone’s best interests at heart. To top this, with the power of 3D printing they also have their own manufacturing plant and from here, the sky really is the limit.

Credit: Parrot AR.Drone

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