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A new process of combining composite manufacturing techniques and expanded polypropylene injection technology, is yielding lightweight, cost-effective and durable unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) airframes to satisfy a growing uptake of drone usage in sectors such as surveillance and security, agriculture, mining, and manufacturing.

Pretoria-based Lightweight Structures is behind this development, using glass, aramid, and carbon fibre. The company was supported by the Aerospace Industry Support Initiative (AISI), a programme hosted by the CSIR to boost quality, localised technology development and the competitiveness of South African industries.

Lightweight Structures is an ISO 9001-certified advanced composite products manufacturer, best known for designing and manufacturing high-end composite parts and structures for the aerospace, maritime, and medical industries.

Previously, the company used a conventional method of hand layup of the composite and the internal foam material laminate. This method was slow and costly and could compromise the quality of the airframes. It was also difficult to ramp up production to meet the increasing demand for drones.

Financial Director at Lightweight Structures, Elena Broughton, explains: “The main motivation was to establish a new process that would allow the manufacturing of structural parts for fixed-wing craft and UAVs in large volumes in a cost- and time-efficient manner.” She adds that such technology exists overseas but is not available locally.

Not only does this mean a new technology readily available to local users – reducing the cost and delays of buying overseas – but it also creates employment and skills development in advanced manufacturing processes.

Broughton concludes: “We are extremely appreciative of the AISI for providing support to help us develop, refine and establish this technology locally. Such manufacturing development activities are not always easy to fund and when they do get funded, they tend to be done over a longer period. The AISI did more than just support the product development over a shorter time; it also introduced us to collaborators and prospective clients.”

For more on the AISI, visit aisi.csir.co.za. The call for participation has been published with a closing date in March 2025.