Micro-etched components enable UAV to take flight

Birmingham company leads way in advanced manufacturing technique

Photo chemical etching specialist Precision Micro has played a leading role in the development of a miniature helicopter that can be used for surveillance purposes.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) features an engine containing miniature motor laminations, etched to extremely tight tolerances. The laminations use Precision Micro’s ‘R bond’ technique, which uses the photo resist protecting the material surface during chemical etching as the bonding agent.

This approach offers improved performance versus conventional punched, riveted or welded laminations, said the company.

One engine component which required micro radii could only be produced by combining Precision Micro’s photo chemical etching and wire electric discharge machining technologies. After chemical etching a 1mm thick blank, a 100 micron wire was used to profile the 0.1mm feature to sub 10 micron tolerances, negating the option of conventional machining techniques, such as precision presswork or laser cutting.

Another component that could not be manufactured by conventional means was the magnetic pole plates used to tilt the rotors and steer the UAV.

For the helicopter to effectively navigate obstacles and identify hidden dangers and enemy positions, the composition of the base metal could not be compromised during manufacture. An ambient, non-contact process, photo chemical etching does not induce any material stresses, meaning original properties remain unaltered throughout the process.

Communication integrity to the ground elements is maintained by the miniature shielding cans also manufactured by Precision Micro, protecting the sensitive electronics from EMI and RFI interference.