Manufacture Drone Parts with Industrial 3D Printing
Cut lead times and simplify production of UAV, UGV, USV and UUV components. Our additive manufacturing service offers the freedom to iterate fast, reduce part weight and produce high-quality, complex geometries without tooling.
3D printing for drone systems
Additive manufacturing is increasingly the go-to choice for drone OEMs and integrators
Whether you’re developing autonomous vehicles for air, land or sea, we work with companies across the drone ecosystem to offer cost-effective solutions for 3D printed drone parts. This includes agile start-ups as well as established Tier 1 suppliers. We can produce strong, lightweight components with tight tolerances at speed in batches of 1 to +100,000. Our SLS and MJF 3D printing technologies are ideal for production-ready polymer parts of varying complexity. Typical drone applications are many and varied and include structural housings, brackets, mounts and gear covers.
Air & Land
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UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)
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UGVs (Unmanned Ground Vehicles)
Marine & Subsea
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USVs (Unmanned Surface Vessels)
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UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicles)
Case Study: Agri-Tech AGV
Dogtooth Technologies is a UK-based agri-robotics firm that is revolutionising the fruit harvesting industry. Read about how Dogtooth utilises 3D printing for both the development and production of their autonomous robots.
Dogtooth uses a range of 3D printed components across its robotic systems, from functional rapid prototypes to production parts deployed at scale.
3D printed drone parts
On land, in the sky, or under the sea.
3D printing plays a key role across the drone industry, from early development to full-scale production. It enables the creation of complex, lightweight parts for unmanned systems and supports cost-effective low-volume manufacturing. This combination allows for fast, efficient production and gives engineers the flexibility to adapt and refine designs without the overheads of traditional methods.
Aerial drones (UAVs)
Lightweight, aerodynamic parts are critical for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). 3D printing enables low-volume production of housings, ducts, brackets and antenna mounts, all without tooling expenditure. Complex geometries, such as internal lattices or integrated channels to reduce part weight, can be printed directly without compromising strength. PA12 Nylon is especially well-suited to flight-ready components thanks to its stiffness-to-weight ratio and dimensional stability.
Ground (or land) drones (UGVs)
Rugged components with strong mechanical properties are essential for Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs). Often deployed in hostile and rough terrain, UGVs have to overcome tough impact and vibration, tests. Both SLS and MJF 3D printing processes produce high-strength, durable and robust parts and are sound production methods for enclosures, wheel housings, gear covers and sensor mounts, to name a few. The ability to manufacture parts on demand makes 3D People a powerful partner for UGV applications.
Water surface drones (USVs)
Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) demand water-resistant parts with good dimensional tolerance and buoyancy control. Polymer 3D printing + post processing allows for sealed, floatable housings; sensor fairings and structural mounts that can be tailored to fit unique onboard electronics or mission equipment. Our finishing processes, including vapour smoothing, enhance surface sealing for marine environments and reduce drag.
Subsea drones (UUVs)
For Uncrewed Underwater Vessels (UUVs), pressure resistance and watertightness are key for components that will experience extended underwater use. Industrial 3D printing processes can deliver intricate housings, protective cages and flow-optimised propeller components without the need for tooling. This allows for fast iterations of designs that must fit tightly packed electronics or mission-specific payloads. These same parts can then be manufactured on demand in the same way, with post-processing options such as vapour smoothing further improving part sealing.
On land, in the sky, or under the sea.
3D printing plays a key role across the drone industry, from early development to full-scale production. It enables the creation of complex, lightweight parts for unmanned systems and supports cost-effective low-volume manufacturing. This combination allows for fast, efficient production and gives engineers the flexibility to adapt and refine designs without the overheads of traditional methods.
Aerial drones (UAVs)
Lightweight, aerodynamic parts are critical for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). 3D printing enables low-volume production of housings, ducts, brackets and antenna mounts, all without tooling expenditure. Complex geometries, such as internal lattices or integrated channels to reduce part weight, can be printed directly without compromising strength. PA12 Nylon is especially well-suited to flight-ready components thanks to its stiffness-to-weight ratio and dimensional stability.
Ground (or land) drones (UGVs)
Rugged components with strong mechanical properties are essential for Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs). Often deployed in hostile and rough terrain, UGVs have to overcome tough impact and vibration, tests. Both SLS and MJF 3D printing processes produce high-strength, durable and robust parts and are sound production methods for enclosures, wheel housings, gear covers and sensor mounts, to name a few. The ability to manufacture parts on demand makes 3D People a powerful partner for UGV applications.
Water surface drones (USVs)
Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) demand water-resistant parts with good dimensional tolerance and buoyancy control. Polymer 3D printing + post processing allows for sealed, floatable housings; sensor fairings and structural mounts that can be tailored to fit unique onboard electronics or mission equipment. Our finishing processes, including vapour smoothing, enhance surface sealing for marine environments and reduce drag.
Subsea drones (UUVs)
For Uncrewed Underwater Vessels (UUVs), pressure resistance and watertightness are key for components that will experience extended underwater use. Industrial 3D printing processes can deliver intricate housings, protective cages and flow-optimised propeller components without the need for tooling. This allows for fast iterations of designs that must fit tightly packed electronics or mission-specific payloads. These same parts can then be manufactured on demand in the same way, with post-processing options such as vapour smoothing further improving part sealing.
Why drones businesses choose 3D People
Lightweight parts
3D print high quality, lightweight UAV parts that improve flight efficiency and payload capacity without compromising structural integrity.
Watertight components
Manufacture precise, watertight USV and UUV components that can pass IP ratings using our MJF 3D printing and Vapour Smooth finishing processes.
Strong & durable materials
Our advanced PA12 3D printing material offers the strength and durability needed for rugged drone applications and extended use.
No tooling costs
3D print 1, 10, 100 or 1000+ drone parts with no start-up costs. Unlike traditional manufacturing, we require no set-up costs to produce your custom part(s).
No minimum quantity
3D print exactly the number of components you need, when you need them, whether that’s a 1-off prototype or a production run of 1000 parts. There is no minimum order quantity.
High quality finishes
Take advantage of our vibro-polishing and high visibility colour finishing processes for durable, high end results.
3 ways to utilise 3D printing for drone components
Rapid prototyping
Print complex, custom parts without moulds or machining. Ideal for lightweight structures, intricate internal features and functional design freedom.
On demand production
Avoid investing in rapid tooling and go directly from CAD to parts in days. Perfect for low-volume production and on-demand production.
End-use manufacturing
Combine strength and weight reduction with part consolidation. Fewer joins, less assembly and improved performance across all drone types.
3D printed drone parts FAQ
How can I order custom drone parts?
Before we can manufacture your custom 3D printed drone parts you will first need a 3D file of the design. For 3D printing, we require files as .STL or .OBJ files.
If you have 3D files ready, you can order online using the ‘Instant Quote’ tool on our new website. Upload your 3D files, select a material and process (SLS or MJF) and instantly order your prints. Alternatively, if you wish to discuss your project, especially for 3D printing on demand, you can contact our expert team to talk it through.
Are there any tooling or start-up costs for 3D printing drone components?
When manufacturing drone parts with 3D People, the only cost you pay is the unit cost, there are no tooling, set-up, or hidden fees. We do, however, have a minimum order cost of £30 per order (not per part). This means you can include multiple parts in one order to meet the minimum. As your order quantity increases, you’ll also benefit from our automatic volume price breaks, as shown on the pricing information page.
What makes 3D printing with MJF or SLS suitable for manufacturing drone components?
Both the MJF and SLS processes are powder bed fusion (PBF) technologies that produce strong, functional thermoplastic parts with complex geometries and excellent detail. They are well-suited to the manufacture of drone components because they can produce parts with a high strength to weight ratio, lightweight lattice structures with internal cavities without support structures and offer excellent repeatability for batch production, on demand.
How does industrial 3D printing enable light-weighting for UAVs?
UAVs benefit from reducing the mass of the component parts as a lighter complete drone improves its range, flight time and payload capacity, if required. Topology optimised components for custom 3D printing remove unnecessary weight without compromising strength, and can even improve it. In a similar way, components can be designed with lattice infills and/or hollow internal structures while maintaining rigidity because industrial 3D printing processes such as MJF and SLA can build these complex structures at no extra cost. A Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) can also lead to the integration of multiple parts into a single lighter part, with the added benefit of reducing assembly time and costs as well as overall part count.
What materials are good for 3D printing drone components?
With the SLS and MJF 3D printing processes, key materials that we run are PA12 (Nylon 12) and TPU.
PA12 is a lightweight but tough material, ideal for the production of drone parts, and it exhibits good chemical resistance too.
TPU is a tough but more flexible material that can absorb impact.
Both materials can be finished for UV resistance and water resistance, as well as for improved surface finish. Both materials can be dyed with bright colours, for higher visibility which can be a priority for marine applications.