In a growing market sector, UAV manufacturers are facing a common challenge as they mature
EDITOR’ S CHOICE THE MANUFACTURING CHALLENGE
ALEXANDER TECHNOLOGIES
In a growing market sector, UAV manufacturers are facing a common challenge as they mature
The nature of the UAV application is such that even between very similar looking products, the actual performance and features can vary greatly. The battery is a key factor that determines how the product performs against the application requirements, and many UAV manufacturers choose to design and develop battery systems in-house during early-stage development.
In recent years, the commercial UAV market has rapidly developed both in terms of technology and demand. This presents a double-edged challenge for UAV manufacturers as they reach commercial maturity.
At the point where repeat production in high quantities is needed, UAV manufacturers need the battery pack to do more than work technically; it must be manufacturable, testable, repeatable, traceable and supported by a reliable supply chain.
When in-house design reaches its limits
One UK-based UAV manufacturer had strong expertise within its engineering team, so had always treated battery packs as a part of the aircraft design process. The inhouse approach allowed the team to make changes as each platform developed and ensured the battery design met the specific requirements of their UAV platforms. In the early days, the manufacturer worked with electronics manufacturing companies to build the battery cell packs which were then assembled elsewhere.
As the company expanded its portfolio of uncrewed aerial systems for infrastructure inspection and public safety, it began looking for external partners to further support product development and help prepare key parts for volume manufacture.
A senior project manager at the British UAV / UAS manufacturer said:“ We needed feedback from a battery manufacturer on how the packs would translate into production at higher quantities. Manufacturability became an important topic.”
Designing for manufacture
It is common within new product development, to find designs that had been suited to lower quantities are difficult to commercialise. Problems can include high labour utilisation, complex assembly processes, poor repeatability, unsuitable production testing, or hard-to-source components. This is particularly true within battery pack production which relies on multiple electronic and mechanical processes as well as a complicated supply chain.
Managing several battery-related suppliers can also add complexity for UAV manufacturers already managing the wider aircraft supply chain. A specialist battery manufacturer can help assess availability, alternatives and sourcing risk earlier in the design process.
To support the next phase of their development, the UAV manufacturer looked for a UK battery partner with experience in volume manufacturing.
The senior project manager said:“ From our first introductions with Alexander Battery Technologies, we could tell the team knew what they were talking about. For example, we were talking directly with engineers from the outset, and they didn’ t just take our design choices at face value. They wanted to make sure that what
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