Print&Live and iSCALE3D test 3D printed airless wheels on Ukrainian combat robots
The Arkan wheels for unmanned ground vehicles completed field and combat trials before moving into small-batch production
Print&Live and iSCALE3D have put Arkan, a set of 3D printed airless wheels for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), through field and combat trials with Ukrainian Defense Forces units.
A TARGAN 3K 244 EVO 1 vehicle covered 210 km on a test range and 151 km across 11 winter combat missions, carrying 1,825 kg of cargo and evacuating a wounded person, and while the tread wore down, the wheels retained their functionality, its developers claimed.
On a Rys Pro UGV, the wheels maintained their load-bearing capacity without delamination or structural cracks on boggy and frozen terrain, under heavy loads and while towing another vehicle.
Print&Live and iSCALE3D said the wheels had now completed the research and development phase and were being produced in small batches for combat units, with the companies expanding their printing capacity to meet demand from UGV manufacturers and military units.
Lattice structure and sidewall design
The wheels are made from load-bearing elastomers and polymer composites, and for off-road conditions they use a lightweight lattice structure, a rounded tread, enclosed sidewalls and a two-piece rim designed to maintain mobility after damage. The airless construction removes the need for inflation, while the enclosed sidewalls and rounded tread help to prevent mud, stones and ice from accumulating.
The design could increase vehicle range by up to a claimed 30 percent compared with existing airless alternatives, by reducing rolling resistance and battery consumption. Wheel stiffness, damping and geometry could also be digitally adapted to different vehicle weights and mission requirements.
The two-piece rim allows tires to be installed or replaced in the field with basic tools and without specialized equipment. A set weighs in at 32–56 kg, compared with 88–144 kg for the Western airless alternatives the developers cited, and comes in at around 4-5 times cheaper than currently available alternatives.
