Titomic, an Australian manufacturer of 3D metal printers, recently unveiled a 3D printed titanium drone, the largest on the market according to the company. It has a diameter of 1.8 metres.

The Titomic 3D printed UAV(Picture source: Titomic)

The printer, which measures 9 x 3 x 1.5 metres, incorporates Titomic’s patented additive manufacturing technology, Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF).

Using titanium provides the UAV with a strong, lightweight, rugged design with ballistics protection, which Titomic said will "provide durability for reliable in-field use by military and law enforcement and is well-suited for deployment in live combat situations".

The manufacturer relied on its patented Titomic Kinetic Fusion (TKF) technology, which is based on a cold spraying method.

"We're excited to be working with the global defence industry to combine Australian resources, manufacturing and innovation, which will increase our sovereign capability to provide further modern technology for Australia and its Defence Force," Titomic managing director Jeff Lang said.

With the unique ability to fuse dissimilar metals and materials, Titomic has unlocked opportunity to create unique materials and engineer parts and surface coatings that are unobtainable via other manufacturing methods. With ability to incorporate multiple metal alloys and materials into single, heterogenous parts, TKF enables the production of parts which exploit the mechanical benefits of multiple high-performance alloys concurrently.