Collaboration Fuels Progress with UAS Developer GeoScout
Moore Brothers delivers five carbon airframe prototypes over 10-month development phase
Moore Brothers provided manufacturing design, fabrication, and post-processing of composite drone components for GeoScout, a firm producing industrial drones with practical real-world applications.
The project began when Istvan Hauer, GeoScout CTO, presented an original design for an unmanned aircraft system that would break ground by carrying extremely heavy payloads. The design incorporated a six pattern threaded insert at the bottom to attach a payload carrier, with a kerosene-fired engine and six arms, it was capable of carrying up to 150lbs. Istvan brought his design and a mold crafted of aluminum to colleagues Mark Raymond and Jeff Kent of the Moore Brothers Company design and engineering team.
"The question of how the design translates to manufacturing with composites is really where we came in. Because the earlier renditions were crafted from aluminum, of Hauer's own machining, we took that whole fuselage and turned it into a carbon monocoque," said Mark, who worked with Moore Brothers' fabrication techs to execute what was ultimately a fruitful 10 month testing period, involving extensive feedback on the tooling, a developed design and five carbon airframe prototypes.
"The feedback from Jeff, Mark and the team was really invaluable. Their expertise in the field is second to none in my opinion," said Istvan, noting that while they started with a product objective, a government grant created a race to achieve the mission requirements, which dictate hardware requirements, many of which are passed to Moore Brothers for the composite structure. "It was a tight timeline but Moore Brothers ultimately came through… so it all worked out."
In addition to fabricating and post-processing components, Moore Brothers developed rotors for the air foil. Istvan also spoke with the team about making carbon shafts and other structural and mechanical components out of carbon, underscoring a large potential for using carbon composites in this type of application.
"With these projects… to me you are never truly done," said Istvan, comparing the lifecycle to that of a Formula 1 car. "The development process there has regulations, which in our case are requirements - cheaper, lighter, stronger - while it's never done, a design phase may be meeting your project’s requirements, and then commences a constant evolution."
Innovative projects that push the limits of existing tech call for a certain depth of knowledge, creative thinking, and careful execution. For Mark, Jeff and the team at Moore Brothers, the priority is to support clients like Istvan and GeoScout in their pursuit of solutions. "What was great is how collaborative the project was, like a lot of the stuff we do. We were happy to bring their idea to a more developed and proven place," Mark said.
