Lola composites aim for the skies in UAV
Lola Group produced the fuselage monocoque and forward system module structures in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic for the initial mock-up of the BAE Systems Mantis UAV.
The project was completed in approximately seven months and involved the design and manufacture of temporary tooling using rapid techniques, initially developed by Lola Composites for racecar manufacturing.
Lola Group influenced the design of the parts by discussing them for manufacture with the design team at BAE Systems, and was able to manufacture components from minimal, prototype information, making extensive use of CAD design tools.
Components were trimmed and drilled, wherever possible on Lola’s 5-axis machine. By using an in-house manufacturing philosophy the design team was able to avoid the need for expensive machining fixtures by using the mould tools as fixtures, without affecting the tool surfaces in any way, such that they could be re-used for a second set of components as required.
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