3D printing produces cheaper, heat resistant firefighter drones

A pair of ground-breaking startups are pooling their tech capacities, hardware, and experience in an effort to develop drones specially designed for deployment by firefighters, using heat resistant materials and 3D printing power to speed production and lower costs.

The common effort involves Texas-based Axle Box tech developer turning to the solutions and materials offered by additive manufacturing specialist Essentium Inc. In doing so, Axle Box – whose focus is providing various operational equipment to public safety, first responder, and armed forces clients – is using the Essentium High-Speed Extrusion 3D Printing Platform (HSE) and high-performance, heat resistant materials to accelerate its production of drones that can withstand the wilting temperatures encountered when deployed by firefighters – especially in wildfires.

Axle Box is pursing that objective by producing the mid-body of its UAVs using Essentium’s high-temperature nylon, which…