Unmanned Systems Technology 026 I Tecdron TC800-FF I Propellers I USVs I AUVSI 2019 part 1 I Robby Moto UAVE I Singular Aircraft FlyOx I Teledyne SeaRaptor I Simulation & Testing I Ocean Business 2019 report

Tecdron TC800-FF | Dossier small and complex steel parts, but in our application we need big, simple parts for the frame that are not easy to machine because of the huge amount of material that has to be removed,” he says. The new vehicle’s structure is made using what he describes as “boilermaking processes”, which essentially involves cutting standard profiles of S235- grade steel tubing to length and TIG- welding them together to form a tubular spaceframe chassis. To save weight, the outer casing is fabricated from aluminium alloys, with milled components made from 2017 grade while those that require welding are 5083 grade. Not only are these processes less costly, Mammana says, they make the chassis structure simpler and more accessible. They also allow fewer parts to be used, which makes assembly, disassembly and maintenance much easier. The chassis and component housings are manufactured in mechanised welding by Tecdron’s local partners in France, and the vehicle is completed at the company’s La Rochelle headquarters. Another major decision was in the area of motors and power transmission, where Tecdron made the change from brushed to brushless DC motors. Brushless motors are more complicated to implement than brushed motors, but for a given size they provide much The TC800-FF is based on a steel tubular frame chassis and aluminium bodywork, and its rubber tracks are driven by electric motors that draw power from a lithium-ion battery (Courtesy of Tecdron)