Generative design of light weight drone frame using FDM 3d printing – A Review

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, India.
^{2, 3, 4, 5} Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karpagam College of Engineering, Coimbatore. 641032.

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 29 April 2026

Abstract

Endurance versus payload in UAVs is a direct trade-off governed by airframe mass and structural efficiency. Generative design (GD) and topology optimization (TO) are increasingly used to develop lightweight, high-performance drone structures optimized for additive manufacturing (AM). Among AM methods, fused deposition modelling (FDM) is the most cost-effective and accessible for producing polymer frames and substructures. This work reviews GD/TO-based UAV frame design using FDM, including design methods, materials, printing strategies, and validation approaches. Case studies show that incorporating AM constraints during optimization can reduce weight by 20–60% while maintaining or improving stiffness-to-mass ratio. A review of 57+ studies indicates GD can achieve 15–50% mass reduction compared to conventional designs. However, FDM still faces challenges due to anisotropic material behavior and fatigue limitations. Despite increasing demand for low-cost, robust, and lightweight UAV frames, current methods struggle to balance strength and weight effectively. Future work should focus on hybrid composites, multi-objective optimization, and real-world testing to enable reliable and certifiable FDM- based UAV structures.