Drone 3D Printing
3D Printing with Powder Bed Fusion is Redefining Drone Manufacturing!
Strong, lightweight, flight-ready part manufacture
Design and manufacture high-performance UAV components using industrial SLS and MJF 3D printing. Powder bed fusion (PBF) technologies enable the production of lightweight, durable, and complex drone parts with the speed and flexibility required for modern UAV development, supporting everything from rapid prototyping to full-scale production.
The drone and UAV sector is advancing rapidly, driven by evolving mission requirements, new applications, and increasing demands on performance, weight, and efficiency. To keep pace, engineering teams need manufacturing solutions that allow fast iteration and design freedom without the delays and cost of traditional tooling. Additive manufacturing provides that capability enabling lightweight structural optimisation, fast design cycles, and seamless transition from development to production.
At 3DPRINTUK, we support UAV manufacturers, aerospace engineers, and defence organisations across the full product lifecycle. Using industrial SLS and MJF systems, we produce structurally capable nylon components suitable for flight hardware, ground support equipment, and subsystem integration. Our infrastructure enables high-volume, repeatable production with consistent mechanical performance and dimensional accuracy.
With one of the UK’s largest in-house fleet of PBF systems, we manufacture thousands of flight-ready components every day. Whether you require low-volume production, mid-volume scaling, or rapid iteration during development, we provide a reliable, tooling-free manufacturing route, trusted across commercial and defence applications.
TRUSTED BY ENGINEERS FROM
Key Benefits of PBF in Drone Manufacturing
City St George University of London's winning drone
Material: MJF NYLON PA12
Finishing: Dyed Black + Shot Peened
City St George University of London's winning drone for entry into the NATO Sapience Competition
Run under NATO's Science for Peace and Security Programme, the competition is designed to innovate the field of autonomous drones over three competitions. The first competition was held in City St George's Autonomous Systems Arena, and the aim was to design and build a multi-agent autonomous system that would map an indoor environment, locate a number of objects, and perform deliveries to detected casualties all while operating in a GPS-denied environment. Four universities from across NATO members and NATO partner countries were invited to take part in this program.
The drone is controlled by a Jetson Orin Nano control board and a Pixhawk 4 flight control unit and uses two RGBD cameras and a Velodyne-16 Lidar for sensor input. This drone utilised AI that was trained using Deep Reinforcement Learning for navigation and obstacle avoidance while using the Lidar for the odometry and mapping. An AI using a Graph Convolutional Neural Network optimised task allocation for the cooperative element of the competition. This drone's use of fully autonomous AI systems convinced the judges to award City St George first place.
Airial UAS (Unscrewed Aircraft Systems)
Airial UAS is a European developer of advanced industrial uncrewed aircraft systems designed for complex, mission‑critical applications. Their flagship platforms feature a hybrid gyrocopter‑helicopter design, enabling efficient long‑range flight, VTOL capability, and high safety standards aligned with aviation regulations.
The company takes a holistic systems approach, encompassing aircraft, sensor payloads, ground control, and automated hangar solutions to support demanding operations such as BVLOS missions, infrastructure inspection, and all‑weather, day‑and‑night deployments.
Prototype body printed in MJF
Approx aircraft body size: 870mm - printed in multiple parts.
Manufacturing partner to the drone Industry
Low cost part manufacture. No tooling, Volume price breaks.
Average 20% lower manufacturing costs for MJF Nylon PA12 parts.
Up to 50% price reduction on specific geometries and order quantities.
Increased discounts for higher quantities, making large-scale AM more competitive.
View our full pricing structure for more information
Ready to Build Better Drones? Choose how you would like to start.
Upload a file - Get an instant quote.
Our custom built Uploading System takes the price breaks into consideration and is the fastest way to get a quote for your project.
Book a meeting with one of our specialists
Questions about manufacturing drone parts? Speak with Danny or Marc from our customer support team for expert advice to ensure your printing process is seamless and successful.
First order? - Get £60 free account credit
For a limited time, we're giving new customers £60 in free credit to experience our high-quality, 3D printing service! Go from your CAD model to prototype in as little as 3 days. Our service is trusted by 10,000+ businesses worldwide, perfect for rapid prototyping & high-volume batch manufacture.
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