Sulsa

Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft

Sulsa Key points

• First published ‘printed’ aircraft

• Light UAV

• Designed by the University of Southampton, with assistance from 3T RPD ltd. A 3d printing company.

• Streamlined design process: complete optimization, design, manufacturing workflow.

• Autopilot by Skycircuits http://www.skycircuits.com/

Presenting the aircraft

• Pusher engine

• V tail design

• Elliptical wing planform

• 5 printed nylon parts in airframe

Key aircraft statistics

• Airframe made entirely from laser sintered nylon

• MTOW: 3kg

• Span: 1.2 m

• Max engine power: 400 w

• Endurance at cruise speed: 40 minutes

• Cruise range 45 km at 38 kts.

• Maximum measured velocity in level fight 75 kts, 90 mph

Catapult launch, belly landing

Innovation Areas

Product innovation

• All structural parts in 3d printed nylon

• All fasteners printed in the nylon, no bolts, screws or nuts

• Complete structural freedom for the designer.

• Hinges printed in 3d printer

• Control surfaces printed in place.

• Very fast assembly of equipment onto airframe

Hinges and moving parts printed in place

All equipment is clipped into place

• Servo’s (4)

• Engine (1)

• Equipment tray has clips for all other equipment including:

• Batteries (2)

• Autopilot (1)

Front fuselage is attached using a bayonet

Design innovation

• Design is parametric, and can be stretched or resized.

• Directly from the optimization to manufacturing geometry.

• The cost of structural design complexity is effectively zero.

Innovative structural design

Aircraft ready for flight

• Very light, strong structure

• Highly complex

• No effect on manufacturing costs

Manufacturing innovation

• Directly from CAD part to manufacturing

• Extremely low construction hours (powder cleaning only)

• Spare parts or upgraded designs can be printed in 96 hours or less.

• No tooling costs, mass customization possible and desirable.

• Complete separation of design and construction: print where you need.

Laser printer in action

Cake of powder containing parts

Powder removal

• Powder removal only human intervention at the end of the manufacturing process.

Assembly-ready parts directly from printer

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.