Design and Development of a 3D-Printed Quadcopter Drone for Educational Autonomous Flight and Research Applications

  • Unique Paper ID: 199563
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 11
  • PageNo: 15097-15099
  • Abstract:
  • This paper presents the design, fabrication, and development of a 450-mm educational quadcopter, constructed using 3D printing (FDM) and safe, low-voltage electronics. Designed as a first-year engineering project, the platform demonstrates fundamental principles of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including lightweight structural design, propulsion control, and sensor fusion. The drone features a 450mm frame, brushless propulsion system, onboard APM 2.8 flight controller, and a sensor suite comprising light dependent resistor, ultrasonic sensor, temperature, and gas. A modular motor arm layout, electronics bay, and quick-release battery tray allow easy assembly and repair—critical for undergraduate learning. Experiments show stable indoor and outdoor hovering, and waypoint navigation in controlled environments. The system provides a safe, cost-effective platform for teaching UAV design, and mechatronic integration.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{199563,
        author = {Khyati Maheshwari and Daanish Shetty and Pushkar Joshi and Rabinder Henry},
        title = {Design and Development of a 3D-Printed Quadcopter Drone for Educational Autonomous Flight and Research Applications},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {15097-15099},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=199563},
        abstract = {This paper presents the design, fabrication, and development of a 450-mm educational quadcopter, constructed using 3D printing (FDM) and safe, low-voltage electronics. Designed as a first-year engineering project, the platform demonstrates fundamental principles of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including lightweight structural design, propulsion control, and sensor fusion. The drone features a 450mm frame, brushless propulsion system, onboard APM 2.8 flight controller, and a sensor suite comprising light dependent resistor, ultrasonic sensor, temperature, and gas. A modular motor arm layout, electronics bay, and quick-release battery tray allow easy assembly and repair—critical for undergraduate learning. Experiments show stable indoor and outdoor hovering, and waypoint navigation in controlled environments. The system provides a safe, cost-effective platform for teaching UAV design, and mechatronic integration.},
        keywords = {quadcopter drone, 3d printing, brushless propulsion, sensor fusion},
        month = {April},
        }

Cite This Article

Maheshwari, K., & Shetty, D., & Joshi, P., & Henry, R. (2026). Design and Development of a 3D-Printed Quadcopter Drone for Educational Autonomous Flight and Research Applications. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(11), 15097–15099.

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