Review on the Use of 3D Printers in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Applications

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in their early development years, consisted of a relatively small number of components. However, in recent years, with the advancement of technology, they are composed of numerous mechanical, electro-mechanical, and electronic components. The production of these components, especially mechanical and structural elements, involves various techniques and is often costly. Commonly used in UAV manufacturing, conventional production techniques such as mold injection or machining can increase time and cost expenditures. The rapidly evolving 3D printing technology has been increasingly employed in the production of UAV components in recent years. The printing materials used in 3D printing technologies are thermoplastics and their derivatives. These materials are much lighter and easier to process compared to metals commonly used in traditional production. 3D printers are not only used in the printing of UAV components but also in the scaled printing of 3D models obtained from UAV images. In the literature, significant results have been achieved in various studies, particularly in cultural heritage, archaeological research, engineering applications, and natural disaster monitoring. In the context of this study, the utilization of 3D printers in the production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) components and in the generation of imagery outputs obtained through the use of UAVs has been scrutinized. Relevant literature studies have been referenced. Finally, future expectations are delineated.

Keywords

• UAV
• 3D printer
• 3D model
• point cloud

3 Boyutlu Yazıcıların İnsansız Hava Aracı Uygulamalarında Kullanımı

Öz

İnsansız hava araçları (İHA) ilk geliştirildiği yıllarda, nispeten az sayıda bileşenden oluşmuştur. Son yıllarda ise teknolojinin gelişmesiyle birlikte birçok mekanik, elektro-mekanik ve elektronik bileşenden meydana gelmektedir. Bu bileşenlerin, özellikle mekanik ve yapısal elemanların üretimi çeşitli teknikler ile yapılmakta ve çoğu zaman maliyetli olmaktadır. İHA üretiminde yaygın olarak kullanılan ve konvansiyonel üretim tekniklerinden olan kalıp enjeksiyon veya talaşlı imalat, zaman ve maliyet açısından giderleri arttırabilmektedir. Son yıllarda oldukça gelişen 3 boyutlu (3B) yazıcı teknolojisi, İHA bileşenlerinin üretiminde kullanılmaya başlanmıştır. 3B yazıcı teknolojilerinde kullanılan baskı malzemeleri, termoplastik ve türevleridir. Bu malzemeler geleneksel üretimde yaygınlıkla kullanılan metallere kıyasla çok daha hafif ve işlenmesi kolaydır. 3B yazıcılar sadece İHA bileşenlerinin basımında değil aynı zamanda İHA görüntüleri ile elde edilen 3B modellerin ölçekli şekilde baskısının elde edilmesinde de kullanılmaktadır. Lireratürde, özellikle kültürel miras ve arkeolojik çalışmalar başta olmak üzere, mühendislik uygulamalarında ve doğal afetlerin izlenmesinde önemli sonuçlar elde edildiği çalışmalar bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma kapsamında 3B yazıcıların, İHA bileşenlerinin üretiminde ve İHA kullanılarak elde edilen görüntü çıktılarında kullanımı irdelenmiş, ilgili literatür çalışmalarına yer verilmiştir. Son olarak gelecekteki beklentiler sıralanmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• İHA
• 3B yazıcı
• 3B model
• nokta bulutu

Kaynakça

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