Elbit Skylark C a 15-kilogram drone with a five-hour flight time. In the previous article in this series, I’ve tried to show you the relevance of drones and why they have been much more important than you may think in modern wars.

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From the 80s to the present day, drones have been critical, but why is 3D printing important to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)? And why is the future of drones and the future of 3D printing so intertwined? One part of this is historical accident. A drone boom in the United States saw many different branches of the military suddenly want many different types of drones. Production runs were small and everyone had their very own specifications. Many companies jumped in and naturally used 3D printing to prototype. Because firms such as Paramount Industries , Digital Harvest and Solid Concepts had, by then, years of experience in 3D printing aircraft prototypes and functional military parts, we as an industry could provide these components quickly and competently (Paramount was bought by 3D Systems and the latter two by Stratasys). There were long-lasting relationships in place between 3D printing services, design departments, defense contractors and industry. This brought confidence, trust […]

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