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of the BushRanger fixed-wing VTOL structure produced using HP MJF technology
Aerospace 3D printing case study: how AMufacture harnesses HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) to accelerate UAV production at scale.
Project Details:
Service:
HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
Industry:
Aerospace and defence
Client:
Leading global drone manufacturers
This case study explores how AMufacture is helping leading UAV manufacturers overcome the limitations of conventional production.
By combining HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology with engineering expertise and an integrated digital manufacturing workflow, we enable organisations to move seamlessly from concept through to scalable production.
The result is faster development, lighter components and a more agile manufacturing model for the next generation of unmanned aircraft.
The Challenge
Scaling drone production without sacrificing performance
Drone production is a rapidly evolving sector spanning multiple fast-moving industries. From aerospace to defence to logistics, manufacturers need lighter, higher-performing parts at ever-increasing production volumes.
Yet as drones have moved from a niche concern to a mission-critical technology, traditional manufacturing methods have struggled to keep pace. Conventional tooling slows iteration, delivering parts in weeks that were needed yesterday. Using different manufacturing methods for prototyping and production creates unnecessary bottlenecks between development and deployment. And as teams innovate further and faster, manufacturers increasingly require complex geometries that conventional tooling cannot produce efficiently.
To overcome these challenges, manufacturers must adopt a fundamentally different production model – one that delivers speed, scalability and consistency without compromising performance.
The Solution
One manufacturing platform from concept to production
Together, AMufacture and HP are transforming drone manufacturing through a single digitised workflow that enables the rapid, scalable production of functional parts.
MJF applies fusing and detailing agents across each layer simultaneously, with no need for support structures. The result is durable, production-ready parts with complex geometries and excellent mechanical properties. The part you specify is the part you get, without the costs, lead times and inconsistencies associated with conventional tooling.
AMufacture complements this technology with the UK’s most advanced MJF fleet, 24/7 production capacity, end-to-end traceability and rigorous quality control. By integrating AMufacture into their workflow, organisations gain a single manufacturing platform that supports everything from concept development to production at scale.
Designs can now be iterated in days, not weeks. Production scales efficiently without tooling. And with our advanced implicit modelling capabilities, engineers can create lightweight, high-performance parts optimised for the next generation of UAVs.
In Numbers
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fully functional quadcopters produced daily with two production cycles
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benchmark yearly production capacity for airframes, at a cost of just $7.65 each
Days, not weeks
prototype to production iteration
AMufacture in action
The Eye Above
BushRanger fixed-wing VTOL
- Surveillance drone for conservation missions
- Ultra-light yet rugged design, built for the world’s toughest environments
- Over 90% of its structure 3D-printed using HP MJF
- Modular airframe with field-repairable parts
Serveo
Xperdron quadcopter
- Custom drones for industrial inspections
- HP MJF harnessed for shells, bodies and critical parts
- Each unit produces enough components for 20 drones in a single build
- Up to 40 fully functional units produced daily in two build cycles
Vecros
ATHERA quadcopter
- AI-powered drone for autonomous inspections and 3D mapping
- Required a clean-sheet UAV architecture
- Harnessing MJF accelerated development while enhancing design and durability
Project Gallery
Engineering for the next generation of UAVs
The future of UAV manufacturing depends on more than faster production. It requires engineering expertise, digital workflows and manufacturing technologies capable of supporting increasingly complex, performance-critical designs.
Whether developing defence platforms, inspection drones, logistics UAVs or autonomous systems for environmental monitoring, manufacturers need production partners who can move seamlessly from concept through to scalable manufacture. That’s where AMufacture’s integrated additive manufacturing ecosystem delivers lasting value, providing the agility, consistency and technical support needed to keep innovation moving.
“We built AMufacture to show that additive manufacturing could deliver real production at scale. Not just prototypes, not just spares – but high-performance, repeatable components that go straight into use. The drone industry is proving how powerful that model can be.”
Craig Pyser, AMufacture CEO
Download our whitepapers
In collaboration with HP, we’ve developed a series of papers that dive deep into MJF’s transformative drone manufacturing capabilities.
- Paper A: Achieve New Heights with HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) Technology
- Paper B: UAV Components in Mass Production
- Paper C: HP MJF Outperforms Conventional Approaches for Making Category I Fixed-Wing Drones
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