This issue highlights a case involving large, thin-walled hollow blades produced with 3D printing, a project completed through collaboration between drone manufacturer Acodyne and the Danish Technological Institute. The goal was to reduce the weight of Acodyne’s electric cargo drones, allowing them to carry heavier payloads.
Acodyne’s drones can transport up to 200 kilograms of cargo and are equipped with electric jet engines featuring ducted fans. The company wanted to use metal 3D-printing technology to refine and further develop these components, so it turned to the 3D-printing experts at the Danish Technological Institute for support.
In this project, the task of the Danish Technological Institute was to optimize the blade design using metal 3D printing. The blades were weight-optimized without altering their external geometry. In the final design, the blades were made hollow, with internal reinforcement ribs added to maintain strength and stability. Manufactured in titanium alloy through 3D printing, the blades ultimately achieved a 30% reduction in weight.
Magdalena Susanne Müller, a consultant at the Danish Technological Institute, said, “With these changes, we were able to reduce overall weight without sacrificing the structural integrity of the blades. 3D printing allows us to create designs that would be extremely difficult to manufacture using traditional methods. The result is a lighter component that can still withstand the forces encountered during high-speed flight.”
This weight reduction creates a cascading effect. With each blade shedding 90 grams, the overall weight of the motor fan disk is reduced by 1 to 2 kilograms. This improvement boosts the product’s speed and response time, giving the company a significant competitive advantage.
