First 3D Printing Attempt with a Drone

Building a drone from scratch is certainly not for the faint of heart. Trying to make the drone deposit material while flying is even more challenging. Here is one of my first attempts.

As you can see from the gif, the drone is quite unstable and cannot reliably hold a position setpoint. The material is also extruded before the drone reaches the print surface. Thus, much more work is needed to stabilize the drone, synchronize the material extrusion with the drone’s movement, and ensure the deposited material will adhere to the surface. Little did I know how much work is still needed…to learn more, see my dissertation.