Design and development of a quad copter (UMAASK) using CAD/CAM/CAE

Micro flying vehicles¹ (MFV) have become a popular area of research due to economy of production, flexibility of launch and variety of applications. A large number of techniques from pencil sketching to computer based software are being used for designing specific geometries and selection of materials to arrive at novel designs for specific requirements. Present research was focused on development of suitable design configuration using CAD/CAM/CAE tools and techniques. A number of designs were reviewed for this purpose. Finally, rotary wing Quadcopter flying vehicle design was considered appropriate for this research. Performance requirements were planned as approximately 10 meters ceiling, weight less than 500grams and ability to take videos and pictures. Parts were designed using Finite Element Analysis, manufactured using CNC machines and assembled to arrive at final design named as UMAASK. Flight tests were carried out which confirmed the design requirements.