3D Printing Fixed-Wing Drones for Aerial Photography Applications
3D printing technology provides multiple solutions to the challenges facing drone design and production.
Edited by Terry Persun
Cool Stuff
Jun 1, 2026
Aerospace
About Dragonfly UAS
As a company focusing on professional drone aerial photography applications in Taiwan, Dragonfly UAS has been committed to providing high-quality, customized drone solutions since its establishment. It has accumulated more than a thousand flight hours and executed more than a hundred cross-field professional cases. Its main businesses include aerial photography mapping machines, land analysis and planning applications, and other industrial applications.
The company uses 3D printing to fabricate UAV test flight models. Dragonfly UAS’s main UAV model is the Vito. Although quadcopters fly stable, they also fly more slowly, whereas the Vito flies much faster, collecting large-scale data in a short time. Because high-end, multi-rotor and fixed-wing integrated models are more complicated to operate, the company provides smaller models for customers to practice.
In order to meet the market demand for complex structures and rapid iterations, Dragonfly UAS worked through Kiden Trading Ltd., Co and chose the Raise3D Pro3 printer, achieving a full range of innovation from design to production. The Pro3 effectively addressed challenges in prototype verification and was leveraged to produce a number of jigs and auxiliary tools.
Transitioning to the Right 3D Printers
Early on, Dragonfly UAS used fiberglass molding to manufacture drone parts, which was not only time-consuming, but also difficult to maintain the consistency of each part. Fiberglass can also be harmful to humans. The company then switched to a Delta 3D printer, which met some of the company’s basic needs, but printing speeds were slow, dimensional accuracy was insufficient for the application, and tolerances for each batch could be as much as 0.4mm different.
In addition, drones require lightweight and high strength fuselages and finding the right combination of materials became a challenge. The Delta printers didn’t provide slicing software and templates suitable for filaments, which caused difficulties with R&D. Chris Lee, a senior R&D design engineer at Dragonfly UAS said, “R&D need to consider a lot when introducing new materials, not only physical properties but also printing stability, so changing materials is troublesome. We have to carefully evaluate each filament.”
Dragonfly UAS needed a complete solution that included printers, filaments, software, and post-purchase services as well as maintaining product quality, reduced development costs, and enhanced development convenience. Faced with those challenges, Dragonfly UAS chose a complete solution provided by Kiden Trading Ltd., Co featuring Raise3D printers. This included Pro3 Series 3D printers, ideaMaker slicing software, and high-quality pre- and post-sales services.
Raise3D Pro3 offers higher speed printing (150mm/s-200mm/s), shortening a specific task from what used to take one week to one day. Lee said, “After we purchased the Raise3D Pro3 printer, it got better and better, and we directly started to print the fuselage. The same part that used to take a week to make now only takes one day. Plus, the tolerance of some components can reach 0.1mm, which means they can be assembled on the drone immediately.”
Raise3D Pro3 uses a closed cabin design, which deters environmental factors on the printing process. The printer’s hardware configuration and preset parameters ensures stable printing quality and reduces the need to frequently adjust parameters due to material changes. Even during high-speed printing, print quality remains consistent and stable across the same batch and between different batches of models.
Material flexibility is important, rather than sticking with the commonly used PLA material Dragonfly UAS tried materials such as Raise3D Premium PLA and Raise3D Premium ASA for different application scenarios such as outdoor use where they wish to better resist UV aging. Using ideaMaker, engineers can easily set printing parameters, such as creating support structures that are easily removable, thus simplifying post-processing steps.
The Pro3 printer was great at making the main structure of the drone and allowed the team to adjust their design plan according to actual needs. When
When conducting functional testing of an aircraft, it is crucial to accurately control the weight and center of gravity distribution. Using the Pro3, Dragonfly UAS was able to quickly manufacture weight blocks that met the requirements for simulated test flights to ensure the proper balance and stability of the aircraft.
In addition to core components, various auxiliary tools and fixtures were also efficiently produced through Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology. This method not only reduced procurement costs but also allowed Dragonfly UAS to customize the most suitable tools according to specific work conditions.
Looking ahead, Dragonfly UAS plans to continue to explore more possible application areas and technology upgrade directions, such as to enhance the design of current support structures to make them more material-efficient and easier to disassemble. The company is also actively looking for more durable printing platform sticker materials to improve printing quality and user experience.
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