CRP Technology is a leader in certified 3D printing for the Aerospace and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) industries. Their Windform® range of composite materials is specifically designed for these demanding applications. The extensive range of carbon and glass fiber Windform composites are lightweight yet high-strength, making them ideal for creating flight-ready components that can withstand the harsh conditions of aerospace and space environments.
AS9100 & ISO 9001 Certified. Guaranteed Quality for your Aerospace & UAV projects.
CRP Facilities are not only certified to AS9100 (aerospace quality standards) and ISO9001 (international quality management standard), but these standards are also implemented with utmost rigor and enhanced by dedicated Quality Tracking software providing for real time process monitoring. This ensures every aspect of our operation, from manufacturing processes to management systems.
Dedicated FOD Prevention Area
Dedicated FOD Prevention AreaThis dedicated space ensures a clean and safe environment to produce your critical components and to minimize the risk of contamination.
Boost Flight Time & Efficiency
Carbon and Glass-fiber Windform® composites deliver the industry’s best weight-to-density ratio, resulting in drone components up to 60% lighter than those manufactured with traditional methods. This translates directly to extended flight times, increased payload capacity, and reduced fuel consumption for your UAV/UAS.
Leading the way in aerospace & UAV 3D printing
Windform® composites aren’t just light they’re tough and durable. Extensively tested in real-world aerospace applications, they can withstand extreme temperatures, chemicals, and high shock/vibration and 14G. UAV, Satellites and deployers manufactured in Windform are still operational in long lasting missions and let you dominate any harsh environment with confidence.
- 30+ Years of Experience: Pioneering additive manufacturing for aerospace and UAV applications.
- State-of-the-Art Technology: Advanced 3D printing systems and Windform® composite materials.
- Certified Quality: AS9100 & ISO 9001 certified for the highest quality standards.
- Comprehensive Person to Person Services
Consultancy in Design for Additive Manufacturing, Prototyping, Production, and Post-processing - Trusted by Industry Leaders
Main Aerospace Agencies, Aero and UAV Manufacturers - Global Reach: Serving customers worldwide with 3 production facilities in Europe, USA and UAE with dedicated support.
More information: SLS 3D printing for drone parts
Windform composite materials
The Windform family of composites includes a wide range of options, with a solution for almost any drone design requirement.
Windform SLLow-density polyamide material with high stiffness and excellent heat resistance, ideal for UAV airframes and arms
Windform RSLightweight carbon-filled composite with high stiffness and strength and excellent impact resistance – ideal for heavy-duty and mission-critical components
Windform SPImpact-resistant and waterproof material for demanding shock and vibration-heavy environments
Windform XT 2.0Space-grade material with excellent strength and stiffness, suitable for both functional prototypes and production
Windform FR1Halogen-free flame-retardant composite with UL 94 V-0 and FAR 25.853 compliance
Windform FR2Glass fiber-filled flame-retardant composite with electrical insulation properties
Windform GTGlass fiber-filled electrically insulated material with high flexibility and resistance to impact, shock and vibration
Windform LX 3.0Next-generation glass fiber composite with excellent surface finish, ideal for components requiring aesthetic qualities
Windform RLRubber-like thermoplastic material resistant to repeated bending and torsion, with good shock absorption
Windform FX BlackImpact-resistant polyamide with behaviour similar to polypropylene and ABS injection moulded parts
Windform TPUThermoplastic polyurethane material with excellent flexibility and shock absorption, ideal for robotics parts such as joints, pipes and connection tubes
Windform GFAluminium and glass fiber filled polyamide with excellent surface definition, suited to intake ducts and fuel systems
Applications & Use Cases
Modular Drone Designs
Two carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites, Windform SP and Windform XT 2.0, were used to create functional and critical parts of the Tundra flight-ready professional drone prototype. These parts – arms and body – are fully modular and were able to successfully withstand the design requirements, including space limitations and extreme conditions during flights, allowing for system optimization.
- Exceptional performance: Windform SP and XT 2.0, carbon fiber reinforced materials, offer superior strength, lightweight properties, and high thermal stability compared to traditional manufacturing methods.
- Design freedom: The modular design of the drone’s arms and body, allows for increased customization and optimization to meet specific missions and operations demands including different payload options.
- Durability under stress: Windform parts successfully withstood not only rigorous testing but also real life operations including space constraints and extreme flight conditions, demonstrating their reliability and suitability for demanding applications like professional drones.
Wind tunnel model of the Leonardo Tiltrotor AW609
CRP Technology 3D printed various external parts (nose and cockpit, rear fuselage, nacelles, external fuel tanks, fairings) of the 1:8.5 scale wind tunnel model for the prototype of the Leonardo HD tiltrotor AW609, using Carbon fiber filled Windform XT 2.0 as the manufacturing material.
Once assembled, these main components made with Windform underwent a series of dedicated low-speed wind tunnel tests, demonstrating high-performing mechanical and aerodynamic properties.
Unmanned Helicopter Tail Rotor Gearbox Housing
Windform XT 2.0 was selected as the material of choice for the Flying-Cam’s Discovery helicopter UAV. In particular the tail rotor component required extra rigidity and the ability to withstand the stress of being clamped to the tail boom. The weight-resistance ratio of this advanced material made it ideal for this difficult task.
Orbital Rocket Propulsion Systems (Rocket motor system)
Windform composites have been used for the first known functional additive manufactured rocket motor system, designed specifically for the small satellite market as a multi-start thruster. It is a complex and functional hybrid, single-part Propulsion System motor that meets the rigid mechanical properties for space applications, capable of multiple restarts and tested at a peak thrust level of 6.2 lbf for a 16-second duration.
While we can only disclose a few real-world applications due to confidentiality concerns, there are a variety of existing application cases in the UAV-UAS, Aerospace and Avio industry where Windform is widely employed
