PROJECT / 02FLIGHT SYSTEMS / CONTROLS / VISION

3D-Printed Quadcopter Drone

Designed a Nylon-CF quadcopter frame with TPU soft grippers, asymmetric-payload stabilization, PID control, and onboard object detection.

Mechanical DesignNylon-CFAdditive ManufacturingPID ControlComputer VisionPrototyping

HERO / 01Drone CAD

HERO / 02Drone Calibration

01 / OVERVIEW

A printed airframe integrating flight control and manipulation.

The Nylon-CF frame carries stacked flight electronics, PID stabilization for asymmetric payloads, onboard object detection, and a central TPU soft gripper.

02 / GRIPPER DEVELOPMENT

Rigid and compliant grippers explored two approaches to aerial manipulation.

CAD view of the rigid four-finger drone gripper and mounting plate — 02 / 01Rigid Gripper

CAD view of the compliant four-finger drone gripper and mounting plate — 02 / 02Soft Gripper

A rigid claw established the mounting geometry, while the soft gripper introduced compliant contact for more adaptable object handling.

03 / FABRICATION

Printing and airframe integration.

Nylon-CF lattice quadcopter arms and removed support material on a workshop table — 03 / 01Printed Airframe Components

Partially assembled Nylon-CF quadcopter with motors, propellers, wiring, and flight electronics during workshop integration — 03 / 02Airframe Integration

The Nylon-CF arms were printed, cleaned, assembled, and wired before integration with the electronics and propulsion system.

04 / AIRFRAME DESIGN

A printed quadcopter structured around flight and manipulation.

Front CAD view of the Nylon-CF quadcopter frame and centrally mounted gripper — 04 / 01Drone CAD

Assembled Nylon-CF quadcopter with exposed flight electronics and a central gripper — 04 / 02Integrated Drone Prototype

04 / 03Drone Calibration

The finished Nylon-CF airframe follows the CAD architecture, integrating lattice arms, motor mounts, stacked electronics plates, landing supports, and a central gripper.