2020
Different unmanned aerial vehicles do not have the same propeller needs. As motor RPM, power, platform mass, target thrust, flight speed, noise limits and mission duration change, the suitable diameter, pitch and blade geometry also change. In 2020, with TÜBİTAK 1507 support, Tulkas set out in its R&D project to turn individual propeller development efforts into a systematic product family.
Within the project, propellers of different diameters and pitches were addressed with a shared engineering approach. Geometry design, composite ply structure, mold production, balancing and performance testing were turned into standardized development steps rather than independent activities restarted for each product.
By the end of the project, Tulkas had built a propeller mold inventory covering more than 30 diameter-and-pitch combinations. This inventory enabled faster responses to different platform requirements and the reuse of validated production methods in new projects.
Each mold was not treated merely as a geometric production tool. It was made part of a product information package together with the relevant propeller's ply plan, hub connection, production steps, balancing method and test records. This aimed to prevent confusion even among similarly sized propellers and to keep production history traceable.
The propeller series was shaped using data obtained from Tulkas' own design and flow analysis tools. Diameter and pitch selection was not made based solely on catalog dimensions; the target operating point, blade tip speed, motor load and expected thrust were all considered. Produced samples were evaluated on the in-house thrust test system, comparing measurements against design predictions.
This feedback built institutional knowledge about which profile, twist distribution and composite stiffness were more suitable within similar geometry families. As the mold inventory grew, not just the number of products but the design and production data for each product began to accumulate.
The broad mold inventory made it easier for Tulkas not only to offer customers an off-the-shelf size, but also to adapt an existing geometry to a mission profile. Starting from a propeller family close to the requirement, profile, pitch or connection details could be revised, and new mold requirements could be evaluated more quickly.
The TÜBİTAK 1507 project was an important R&D step that brought together Tulkas' design, mold and testing activities in the composite propeller field under a shared product development system. The resulting series and inventory strengthened the technical and production foundation for subsequent custom propeller projects.
For your UAV or special aircraft platform, you can evaluate the option of selecting from Tulkas' existing propeller family or developing mission-specific geometry.
