Lace folds a 3D printed drone into a backpack

A student led nonprofit is pushing 3D printing far beyond hobby frames, with a foldable 800 mm drone designed to be built almost anywhere, repaired fast, and used for real research work.

A foldable research drone built to be printed

Lace is a large format quadcopter frame that folds down small enough to fit in a backpack, while keeping the look and function of modern foldable drones. Nearly the entire airframe is 3D printed, with the exception of the arms, and the STL files are available for free.

The design targets researchers and advanced builders who want a compact but capable platform. Lace is built around an 800 mm motor to motor span, roughly 30 inches, with a typical all up weight of about 3 kg depending on payload and configuration.

Because of the tight internal layout, the frame is designed specifically around the Pixhawk 6C flight controller and a 4S 4500 mAh battery. Beyond that, the system stays flexible, allowing builders to swap motors, ESCs, props, and telemetry depending on mission needs.

A reference build includes Sunnysky V3506 650 Kv motors, 13.5 inch foldable propellers, Hobbywing 40A ESCs, dual HRB 4500 mAh 14.8 V batteries, and Skydroid H12 Pro controllers with integrated telemetry. The structure also requires four 220 mm carbon fiber tubes sized at 14 by 16 mm.

Aeroptera and the push for accessible drone research

Lace is developed by Aeroptera, a student led nonprofit made up of high school and university engineers, designers, and researchers. The group was formed around a simple idea: drones are essential tools for environmental research, but cost and availability often keep them out of reach.

The project began after a conversation with an environmental science professor in Ann Arbor, where the founders realized how many researchers worldwide depend on drones but cannot afford commercial systems or replacements after crashes.

From that moment, Aeroptera committed to making research capable drone platforms open, affordable, and repairable.

3D printing sits at the center of that vision. By designing frames that can be printed locally, repaired quickly, and customized for different sensors or payloads, Aeroptera aims to remove supply chain and cost barriers entirely.

The team’s work has already crossed borders. Lace has been developed with input from engineers at Autel Robotics in Shenzhen, tested at high altitude with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Lhasa, and refined through material collaboration with Polymaker, the project’s lead sponsor.

From early prototypes to Lace II

Lace did not arrive fully formed. Early prototypes failed to lift off, suffered structural flex, and exposed weaknesses in folding joints. Through repeated crashes and redesigns, the team developed stronger joints and eventually introduced the Superclamp folding mechanism to handle flight loads reliably.

These lessons led to multiple iterations, including Lace PTR and Lace Veyric. Veyric introduced a semi open exoskeletal design that improves airflow, simplifies hardware access, and allows rapid frame replacement, often in under an hour. It also supports DJI O3 and O4 air units.

The next step is Lace II, a reworked frame designed around carbon fiber reinforced PETG, specifically Polymaker PETG rCF08. The updated structure adds canted motors, improved stiffness, and higher resistance to torsional deformation, pushing the platform closer to professional and academic deployment.

Lace II has been developed with support from researchers at the University of Iowa and engineers from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, reinforcing its focus on real world research rather than hobby flying.

DroneXL’s Take

Lace is not trying to compete with consumer drones on polish or automation. Instead, it attacks a different problem, accessibility. A foldable 800 mm drone that can be printed, repaired, and modified almost anywhere changes the economics of aerial research in a meaningful way.

If Aeroptera continues refining structural reliability and documentation, Lace could become a quiet but powerful blueprint for how open hardware reshapes the future of research drones.

Photo credit: Aeroptera