Use of 3-D Printers to Design, Build, and Test a Quadcopter Drone

The body,arms, and legsof a quadcopter drone were designed using two design softwares, 123D Design and MeshMixer. These parts were printed using two 3D printers: The MakerBot Replicator 2X was used to print the arms using ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) material and the Flashforge Creator Pro printed the body and legs using PLA (Polylactic acid) material. The printed parts were tested for dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. The electronic parts for the drone consisted of one flight control, four electronic speed controllers, one transmitter, one receiver, four motors, four propellers, and one GPS. The 3D printed parts and the electronic components were assembled to make the prototype of the quadcopter drone. Through this hands-on project, the students were trained in two new and emerging manufacturing technologies: 3D printing and rapid prototyping as well as drone technology. Some of the difficulties encountered by the student team include assembly errors, sizing issues, and software incompatibility. Flight tests were performed and the errors identified and corrected. The results of the flying quadcopter drone designed, built, and tested are presented and discussed. Introduction This paper is one of the outcomes of the Mercer Summer Engineering Experience (MeSEE 2015), an Academic Training program, in which multidisciplinary student teams were trained in engineering labs and then worked on hand-on projects over a period of 10 weeks (30-40 hours/ week) in the lab environment, during 2015 Summer semester to complete the chosen projects. Three senior students (Ana Carolina Martins Rosa, Industrial Engineering; Victor Ferreira Bispo Santos, Mechanical Engineering; and Benedito Adilson Domiciano Neto, Mechatronics/ Automation Engineering) forming a multidisciplinary team worked on this project. The overall objective of this project is to design, build, test, and fly a quadcopter drone within the ten weeks duration of the academic training. This includes: 1. Provide training to the student team in CAD softwares: use of 123D Design and MeshMixer to design parts;and 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping: use of 3D printers (MakerBot Replicator 2X and Flashforge Creator Pro) to print the designed parts; 2. Review of literature and watching online tutorials related to 3D Printing and Designing and Building of a Drone (Do It Yourself) by the student team; 3. Design the quadcopter drone parts (arms, body, and legs) using 123D Design and MeshMixer; 4. Print the parts in 3D printers: 4 arms in the MakerBot Replicator 2X using ABS material; body (bottom and top part), and 4 legs in Flashforge Creator Pro using PLA material; 5. Measure the parts made of ABS and PLA for dimensional accuracy and surface roughness and compare the results; 6. Purchase the electronic components/parts that are required to make the drone; Build the drone using the printed parts and the purchased electronic components; 7. Do the calibrations, conduct flying tests, correct the errors, and make the drone to fly; 8. Write the final reportwith the team members and prepare the poster for final presentation in consultation with the academic training advisor. Submit the final report and make the oral and poster presentation. In addition, this project is designed to fully/partially satisfy some of the ABET's student learning outcomes that include: b. An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data; c. An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as safety, manufacturability, and sustainability; d. An ability to function on multidisciplinary teams; g. An ability to communicate effectively (orally and written); k. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. The 3D printers are capable of producing three-dimensional solid objects drawn in 3D software through an additive process, wherein the feedstock is applied layer by layer to form the threedimensional object 1-3 . The drones are instruments controlled from a distance by electronic and computational mechanisms. Many of them seem aero-modeling toys or even remote control helicopters, but the difference is in the technology employed, usually much more complex than mere toys. Its utilities go beyond conventional, they can be used either for leisure, commercial or military work. Uniting these technologies, a drone was designed, built, and tested by the student team. All the parts of the drone were printed in the 3D printers: arms, body, and legs. The electronic parts were bought separately: motors, battery, charger, electronic speed controllers (ESCs), and remote control. All printed and purchased parts were put together and tested for the drone to fly. Two softwares were used to design the parts of the drone: 123D Design and MeshMixer. These are compatible with the 3D Printers. Two 3D printersused to print the parts are: the MakerBot Replicator 2X and the Flashforge Creator Pro. Currently, both printers are available for training students in additive manufacturing/rapid prototyping at Mercer University School of Engineering. The MakerBot Replicator 2X was used to print the arms using ABS, a common thermoplastic polymer, very rigid and light, with a good balance of strength and flexibility. The Flashforge Creator Pro printed the body and legs using PLA, a biodegradable thermoplastic polyester, more efficient in certain types of molding than the ABS, because it tends to deform less after the application and releases less smoke upon reaching its melting point. The printed parts were measured for dimensional accuracy and the surface roughness measurements were made using a surface roughness tester. Also, flight test were performed and some errors were corrected for the drone to fly without errors.