Production of UAV ribs: traditional methods VS 3D Printing with the ARGO 1000

Born in the military for surveillance, reconnaissance and missions in remote locations, the use of UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) is extending considerably also in the civil field, making an important contribution in various sectors, from environmental monitoring to public safety.

The design of these aircraft provides for a continuous balance between structural solidity and the weight of the elements that compose them. On the one hand, substructures such as wings, fuselage and tail must guarantee an adequate mechanical response to allow flight in total safety, avoiding any possibility of structural failure. On the other hand, the weight increase on a component exerts a direct influence on payload, fuel consumption and flight range, which are fundamental requirements for carrying out aerial activity.

Among the most significant substructures, the ribs have always stirred great interest in the technological landscape, meeting the evolution of design, materials and layout strategies inside the wing.

Traditional production of ribs: materials and methods

The rib has the main function of forming and supporting the airfoil, thus guaranteeing its stability during flight and evenly distributing the mechanical stresses on the side members. Depending on the type of aircraft, its dimensions can vary from tens of centimeters to a few meters.

 Traditionally, the ribs are produced in metal material by milling or by stamping sheet metal. While milling consists in the selective removal of material starting from a solid block, molding involves the deformation of the surface of thin sheets by means of a controlled pressure.

Considering the small number of UAV‘s required by the market and the different sizes of ribs needed per wing, the production batches usually consist of a few dozen units with different geometries. For this reason, it is often preferred to avoid the design and production of expensive steel molds provided for molding, in favor of chip removal, with greater processing times and a greater waste of material. However, both processes require expert operators able to organize and monitor production, from component positioning to calculating tolerances and distortions.

In recent years, composite laminates with a polymer matrix have been added to metal solutions, favoring structural lightening at the expense of the cost of manufacturing a single part. Among the various production techniques currently used, there are Vacuum Infusion and Resin Transfer Molding: both have a resin mixing and injection system for filling a pair of molds inside which the reinforcing fibers are arranged. The polymerization of the composite takes place at controlled temperature and pressure in an autoclave. Subsequent processing is carried out with auxiliary machinery and processes.

In addition, the need to design and manufacture molds with difficult amortization contrasts with the reduced number of UAV‘s required by the market and with the different sizes of ribs provided for each wing.

The ARGO 1000 3D printer: what changes?

In the continuous search for solutions that allow an increase flight autonomy through structural lightening, the aerospace industry, which has always been among the pioneering users of new technologies, sees in 3D printing a potential tool for overcoming the limits imposed by techniques of traditional manufacturing.



The ARGO 1000 is the world's largest 3D printer, equipped with a heated chamber, for the fast production of incredibly strong super polymer and composite parts, which will be available commercially in the second half of 2022.

With its printing volume of 1000x1000x1000 mm, it is possible to produce large components or multiple small series in a single cycle, allowing to meet different and changing needs, while optimizing times and reducing production costs.

Benefits of Roboze 3D printing in component manufacturing

Roboze 3D printing solutions have been developed paying particular attention to ensuring accuracy, repeatability and process control, promoting the industrialization of technology and meeting the typical needs of industrial production, with its benefits:

• The freedom of design and the possibility of creating internal reticular structures typical of 3D printing, associated with super-polymers and composite materials, enable the production of components capable of recording a considerably high strength/weight ratio;
• Unlike machining which involves chip removal, additive manufacturing minimizes waste material, leading to sustainable and more cost-effective production;
• The need to print small production batches with different geometries does not bring any additional cost to the printing process, which manages to contain the initial investment and reduce lead time by not requiring the production of specific tools and molds.



Among the processable materials, Carbon PEEK (PEEK loaded with 10% carbon fiber) is a semi-crystalline polymer capable of performing an excellent structural function while maintaining a density typical of a plastic material (1.33 g / cm³). The mechanical resistance is close to that of a light aluminum alloy (Ultimate Tensile Strength - of about 140 MPa), while the nature of its self-extinguishing matrix (UL94 V0) provides it with dimensional stability and chemical resistance even to high temperatures (HDT - Heat Deflection Temperature - of about 250 ° C).


By comparing the traditional production techniques described above, we therefore obtain the following results.

For more information contact the team at: info@roboze.com.