Angel Aerial Systems from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a brilliant example of how innovative use of 3D printing can enable the start of an entire business. This startup company, founded in 2022, has managed to create revolutionary drones capable of up to two hours of hover time – that’s 3 to 6 times longer than traditional quadcopters.

This meaningful project would never have existed without 3D printers – especially our industrial flagship Prusa Pro HT90. “We designed the aircraft around the HT90’s capabilities to minimize cost and maximize performance. Switching to injection molding would increase weight and tooling costs – making it a non-starter,” says Will Hasting, co-founder and CEO of Angel Aerial Systems.

Solving Critical Flight Time Limitations

The story of Angel Aerial Systems begins with a clear vision: to solve the problem of short flight times for drones used in emergency services. While conventional drones typically fly for only 20-40 minutes, the company has developed unique spinning-wing technology that enables its Trio drones to fly for up to two hours on a single battery, revolutionizing the way drones work with aerodynamics. “Our mission is to provide police, fire, and search-and-rescue teams with persistent aerial awareness through field-deployable UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) capable of unmatched hover duration,” Will Hasting describes.

Trio is the first commercial spinning-wing UAV with vertical take-off and landing capability, with up to two hours of stable hover.

What is 3D Printing’s Role in This Story?

For realizing this vision, choosing the right manufacturing technology was crucial. Angel Aerial Systems selected 3D printing for several fundamental reasons, illustrated by their collaboration with Prusa Research and use of the Prusa Pro HT90 printer fleet.

CEO Will Hasting explains the role of the HT90 in their operation: “We constantly balance size, weight, durability, and thermal performance – under tight timelines and high reliability demands. The HT90 allows us to move quickly without compromising material properties, producing flight-ready parts that endure harsh operational conditions. We print our entire airframe on the HT90 – including wings, hub structures, and more.”

The company started with the HT90’s predecessors, Trilab DeltiQ 2 Plus and AzteQ, due to their build volume, but the real breakthrough came when they became a beta partner for Prusa Pro HT90. As Will describes: “We operate five HT90s and run them hard. They’ve proven reliable over thousands of cumulative hours. The systems are predictable and consistent, which is critical in a production-like environment. For mission-critical drone components, we’ve been able to achieve the dimensional accuracy and repeatability required for field use. The surface quality is so good that often people are surprised to learn that it is 3D printed.”

Prusa Pro HT90 Advantages for Drone Manufacturing

The HT90 brings several key advantages that make 3D printing not only competitive but, in this case, directly superior to traditional manufacturing methods. As Will continues to explain, “we use the heated chamber on every print (often at 90°C) which significantly improves strength and stiffness. For us, it’s not just about melting plastic; we’re producing load-bearing aerospace structures. Print speed is another major win – the HT90 prints 3-4× faster than our AzteQs.”

Access to high-performance materials like PEEK-CF has also given Angel Aerial Systems additional options and reduced external dependencies. This has allowed them to avoid outsourcing for structural parts, including what would otherwise require CNC aluminum.

The company works with a wide spectrum of materials on the HT90, including both carbon fiber and non-carbon fiber versions: PC, ASA, PA, PETG, PCTG, and PP. Their go-to material for non-carbon fiber parts is Prusament ASA. “Once dialed in, it offers excellent layer bonding, thermal resistance, and dimensional precision,” Will values the capability of HT90 to handle advanced materials well.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

The economic benefits of 3D printing are also crucial for Angel Aerial Systems. “Without affordable, high-performance 3D printing, we wouldn’t have started the company. We’ve run hundreds of design iterations – something that would have taken years and cost exponentially more with traditional manufacturing. As an early example, our $4,000 Trilab DeltiQ 2 saved over $20,000 in parts from a service bureau during its first year in operation,” Will describes regarding the economic impact of using 3D printing.

The company’s mechanical team operates the printers directly, with the interface and maintenance access being intuitive enough for daily use in an engineering environment with minimal training. As Will concludes: “For what the machine is capable of, it’s impressively approachable.”

Angel Aerial Systems has successfully proven that 3D printing can be the backbone not only for research and development but also for the actual production of advanced aircraft. Their Trio drone represents proof that innovative design combined with advanced manufacturing technologies can create products that redefine the possibilities of an entire industry.

Are you ready to unlock the potential of high-performance 3D printing for your engineering projects with the Prusa Pro HT90 too? Request your personalized quote today