The next step was to select seven materials from this list for which we would dig a little deeper into the literature and on which we would each perform two experiments: a DSC and a rheometry test. The seven materials were selected based on their mechanical properties (the drone needs to withstand shocks), their density (we want a light polymer) and their heat resistance (the polymer needs to withstand 120°C). These seven material have separate webpages, each written by one member of the team.

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Finally, among those seven materials, we kept only two: one for the bulk of the drone and one for the bumpers. Our selection was based on thermal properties (with the help of the DSC), flow properties (with the help of the rheology measurements) and finally based on the printing. We thus chose materials that were easy to print, had a nice finish and met all our criteria (thermal and mechanical). The selected materials were ABS and Flexifil, both from the Easyfil brand. We performed an array of experiments on these materials. If you want to find out more about our results, go here.