Precision Manufacturing Case Study: Aluminum Alloy Sheet Metal Structural Housing for French UAV Client

Project Background: Structural Integrity and Thermal Management Challenges

In early 2025, a French UAV manufacturer contacted us during the redesign of their heavy-lift drone. Their engineering team was struggling with battery module housings: components from existing suppliers had poor dimensional consistency and insufficient rigidity, leading to assembly misalignment, vibration issues, and overheating concerns.

After learning about our extensive experience in precision aluminum alloy sheet metal processing (particularly our aerospace-grade battery tray project), their lead development engineer, Jean L., reached out to our chief engineer, Marc. With a critical demonstration flight approaching in just six weeks, they urgently needed 20 functional aluminum alloy sheet metal housings for fit-check, vibration, and thermal dissipation testing.

Core Client Requirements

Material

Dimensions & Structure

Tolerances

Surface Finish

Delivery

Documentation

Aerospace-grade aluminum alloy with anodized surface treatment for corrosion resistance and thermal stability.

Approximately 260×100×90mm housing with ventilation grids, integrated mounting flange, weight-reducing cavities, and reinforcement ribs.

Hole concentricity ±0.02mm, flatness of the base mounting surface ±0.03mm.

Uniform matte black anodized coating with no visible tool marks; secondary polishing not permitted.

20 housings within 10 working days (including international air freight).

Full English CMM reports, raw material certificates, and packaging validation photos (including parts fitted into their assembly jig).

Key Technical Challenges

Thin-Wall Bending and Complex Cavities: 2mm rib walls and 15mm-deep ventilation slots increased the risk of bending springback and deformation.

Thermal Management and Flatness: Large aluminum surfaces required strict flatness control to ensure reliable heat transfer from battery cells.

Consistent Matte Anodizing: Maintaining a uniform anodized appearance without streaks or color variations across large flat surfaces.

Tight Timeline: 10 days to complete blanking, bending, welding, anodizing, full inspection, reporting, and international logistics.

Our Solution: Precision Engineering and Agile Execution
Material Preparation and Stability Control

Pre-stressed aerospace-grade aluminum alloy sheets were selected to minimize deformation during bending and welding processes.

Collaborative Process Optimization

Our process engineer, Li Wei, developed optimized multi-process bending and stamping plans for the housing’s ventilation grid and thin rib structures. Initial simulations identified potential interference at a internal bending gap. After a late-night online meeting with the client’s mechanical team in France, it was agreed to adjust a non-critical assembly dimension by 0.8mm—a minor change with negligible impact on assembly but critical for ensuring manufacturability.

Precision Sheet Metal Manufacturing

First-article inspection confirmed hole position accuracy within ±0.015mm. However, slight stress marks were detected near ventilation slots. To address this, we:

Optimized the bending sequence and process parameters

Utilized custom high-precision bending molds

Introduced laser finishing in critical areas

Subsequently produced housings exhibited clean, stress-free slots and holes.

Surface Treatment and Aesthetic Consistency

After machining, all housings underwent Type II matte black anodizing. Precise control of oxidation process parameters ensured uniform color tone across ribbed and flat surfaces.

Rigorous Inspection and Delivery Transparency

Each housing was inspected via CMM for hole concentricity, flange flatness, and ventilation slot dimensions. One unit showed a flatness deviation of 0.033mm—slightly out of tolerance. We immediately:

Conducted a secondary verification

Notified the client promptly

Isolated the non-conforming part while shipping the remaining 19 qualified units

All parts were packed in protective cases with shock-absorbent foam and shockwatch labels before being shipped via express air freight.

"The housings arrived exactly on the 10th day, perfectly packaged. They mounted seamlessly onto our jig—no rework required. Vibration was significantly reduced, and thermal tests confirmed better heat dissipation compared to our previous supplier’s parts. Please extend our thanks to your process engineer for adjusting the bend design—it saved us valuable time. We are ready to place a batch order for 200 units immediately."

Ongoing Partnership: Scaling from Prototype to Production

Following successful validation, we now supply monthly batches of 200 housings. The client has further engaged us to manufacture structural frames for their next-generation endurance UAV. To streamline collaboration:

Shared cloud folders are used for real-time design feedback

Inspection reports are aligned with their ISO9001 compliance protocols

Project Insight: Precision + Speed + Transparency

This project demonstrates how proactive material control, collaborative process planning, adaptive manufacturing strategies, and uncompromising quality control enable rapid prototyping in the aerospace sector. The seamless transition from 20 prototypes to production batches underscores our ability to support UAV innovators with both agility and reliability.

JoeVin

Joe Vin is the Operations Director at Alec Model, a CNC machining and 3D printing manufacturer in China. With full in-house production and years of hands-on experience, he helps global clients solve real-world manufacturing challenges — from prototyping to production.

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