3D Printing for Drones: MJF, SLS & FDM Compared

Drones are no longer a niche technology. From agricultural surveillance and infrastructure inspection to defence and logistics, they are being used in industries that demand precision, reliability, and performance under pressure. And as drone designs get more sophisticated, so does the conversation around how to manufacture them.

3D printing for drones has become a genuine production tool in development, not just a prototyping shortcut. It gives manufacturers the freedom to iterate quickly, reduce weight through complex geometry, and produce low-volume runs without the cost of traditional tooling. But choosing the right printing technology matters. MJF, SLS, and advanced FDM each bring different strengths, and the best choice depends on the component, the application, and what the drone ultimately needs to do.

Multi Jet Fusion (MJF): Speed, Consistency, and Production-Ready Parts

MJF fuses nylon powder using inkjet arrays, producing parts with consistent mechanical properties throughout, no weak layer lines, and a surface finish that needs minimal post-processing. It is fast, scalable, and works well for both individual components and low-volume production runs.

Housings, ducts, cable management components, structural brackets, and integrated frame sections are all a good fit for MJF. Because the process builds without support structures, designers can create complex internal geometries, consolidate multiple parts into one, and engineer weight out of a design from the start.

• Strong, isotropic parts with consistent mechanical properties throughout
• Complex geometries and consolidated part designs are no problem
• Competitive cost per part for low to medium volume production
• Clean surface finish with minimal post-processing required
• Runs on PA12 nylon, which suits the majority of drone applications

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS): Material Versatility and Design Freedom

SLS uses a laser to sinter nylon powder layer by layer, also without support structures, giving designers the same geometric freedom as MJF but with a wider range of materials to choose from. That is where SLS really stands out.

As well as PA12, SLS can run glass-filled nylons for added stiffness, HST composites for higher temperature resistance, flame-retardant PA 2210 FR where ignition is a genuine concern, and EOS PA11, which is more flexible and impact-resistant. When a component needs to hit a specific performance threshold, SLS lets engineers pick the right material for the job rather than working around a material constraint. It also handles large, complex single-piece structures well, making it a strong option for fully printed airframes and integrated drone bodies.

• Wide material selection including flame-retardant, glass-filled, and high-temperature options
• No support structures, so complex single-piece builds are achievable
• Well suited to fully printed drone frames and structural body sections
• Surface finish is rougher off the machine, though vapour smoothing can close that gap where needed
• Slightly longer turnaround than MJF for more complex builds

FDM with the MarkForged FX20: Structural Performance and Continuous Fibre Reinforcement

Formero’s FDM capability is not your typical desktop printer setup. We run the MarkForged FX20, which is built for industrial applications and brings something neither MJF nor SLS can offer: Continuous Fibre Reinforcement, or CFR.

CFR works by laying continuous strands of carbon fibre through the interior of a part as it prints. When combined with Onyx, a micro carbon fibre filled nylon, the result is a part that can match the tensile strength of 6061-T6 aluminium. For structural drone components such as arms, motor mounts, payload brackets, and custom airframe sections, that is a significant capability. The FX20 also supports ULTEM 9085, a tough, high-performance thermoplastic with excellent flame, smoke, and toxicity characteristics that is used in production aerospace applications.

• Continuous Fibre Reinforcement enables aluminium-equivalent strength in a printed part
• Onyx and Onyx FR available as composite base materials, with and without flame retardancy
• ULTEM 9085 available for high-temperature and FST-sensitive applications
• Best suited to high-load structural components where performance is the priority
• Slower to build than MJF or SLS, with a coarser surface finish

Choosing the Right Technology

There is no single right answer. The best choice depends on the geometry, the load requirements, the operating environment, the material specification, and the volume needed. Many drone programmes end up using more than one technology, with each process doing what it does best across different components.

For defence and government drone programmes, it is also worth knowing that Formero manufactures entirely in Melbourne. Files never leave Australia, and every part is produced on Australian soil. Sovereign manufacturing is not an abstract concept in this sector, and it is something we take seriously.

If you are working on a drone project and want to talk through which technology suits your specific components or application, our team is happy to work through it with you in detail. Get in touch with the Formero team.

3D Printing, Knowledge Hub