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Drone & UAV Manufacturing for Prototyping and Production
The dependable and fast Europe-based manufacturing partner for commercial, and consumer unmanned aerial vehicle companies
Certification + Compliance
ISO 9001:2015 | AS9100D | ITAR
How Drone & UAV Teams Use Protolabs
Rapid Prototyping
Instant quotes with manufacturability feedback help refine designs early, accelerating iteration cycles to test in real flight conditions sooner.
End-to-End Product Development
Support for iterative development and low-volume builds, with applications engineers helping overcome weight and durability challenges for flight-ready drones.
Jigs & Fixtures
Get production-grade jigs and fixtures delivered in days and keep workflows moving.
Quality and Traceability
Take advantage of our U.S.-based AS9100- and ISO9001-certified machining and 3D printing facilities for high-requirement parts. Aluminum traceability is also available on qualifying projects.
Materials
Access hundreds of materials suited for components like propeller blades, motor stands, housings, and brackets.
Full Production Support Team
| Our manufacturing experts handle your production order from start to finish, keeping workflows moving and updating you at each step. |
Account Manager
A dedicated account manager provides support, including assistance with platform and file uploads.
Applications Engineers
Expert CAD solutions and cost-reduction strategies tailored by in-house applications engineers to optimize your designs.
Logistics
Seamless logistics fulfilment and efficiency optimisation from experienced operations specialists.
Quality Control
Our skilled expert on-site quality control teams ensure your parts meet your expectations and exact specifications.
Innovative Drone Development
| Many cutting-edge drone developers partner with Protolabs for search-and-rescue, delivery, and even transportation applications. Amazon’s Prime Air drone team tapped into Protolabs’ quick-turn metal 3D printing and machining services for end-use production parts in the company’s advanced delivery drones. |
Manufacturing Services for Drone & UAV Products
CNC Machining
Leverage the same speed, precision, and reliability in machining that you're accustomed to at Protolabs but unlock advanced machining capabilities like tighter tolerances and volume pricing through our manufacturing network.
- Machined parts in as fast as 1 day with optional plating and anodising in as fast as 5 days
- Cost-efficient machined parts at higher volumes
- Tolerances down to ±0.001 in. (0.020mm) through our digital network
3D Printing
Want quality parts and additive expertise at a single 3D printing source? Choose from seven different additive manufacturing technologies for cost-effective prototyping and highly precise, repeatable production parts.
- Additive technologies include metal 3D printing, SLA, SLS, FDM, and more
- 30 plastic and metal materials in a range of finishes
- 25 years of additive manufacturing expertise
Injection Moulding
Produce high-quality moulded parts and bridge tooling in days. Free mouldability consultation saves you time and money during the design and tooling process.
- Low-volume moulding up to 100,000+ parts with volume pricing available—no MOQ required
- 100+ plastic, elastomeric, and silicone rubber materials
- Accepting customer-supplied resin to meet customer requirements
- Automated CMM for fast, in-house quality documentation
Quality Measures for Drone & UAV Components
Our industry-standard procedures and certifications guarantee quality and regulatory compliance.
| CMM inspection report | First Article Inspection (FAI) |
| Dimensional Inspection Report (DIR) | PPAP |
| Material Certificates + Certificate of Analysis | Conflict Minerals Reporting |
| REACH + RoHS Certificates | Prop65 |
| Industry Certifications: ISO 9001 and AS 9100 | Certificate of Conformance (CoC) |
| Industry Certifications (Protolabs Network): ISO 13485, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO TS16949 | |
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Materials for Drone & UAV Components
Titanium
Available through machining and metal 3d printing services, this lightweight and strong material offers excellent corrosion and temperature resistance.
Aluminum
This metal’s high strength-to-weight ratio makes it a good candidate for housing and brackets that must support high loading. Aluminum is available for both machined and 3D-printed parts.
Stainless Steel
SS 17-4 PH is widely used in the aerospace industry due to its high strength, good corrosion resistance, and good mechanical properties at temperatures up to 600°F.
Polycarbonate
This strong and extremely impact-resistant thermoplastic has a low shrink and good dimensional stability. It’s a transparent plastic that is available in optically clear grades, which works well for transparent covers and housings.
Nylons
3D print and mould functional prototypes in several nylon materials available through Selective Laser Sintering, Multi Jet Fusion and Injection Moulding. Mineral- and glass-filled nylons improve mechanical properties when needed.
High-Temp Plastics
PEEK and PEI (Ultem) offer high-temperature resistance, creep resistance, and are suited for applications that are near heat or chemicals such as high-temp electronic housings or parts that are near motors/exhaust.
Common Drone & UAV Applications
We have several capabilities within our manufacturing services catered to the UAV industry. Here are a few applications we frequently see:
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Additional Resources
