Do drone accessories possess excellent UV resistance and weather resistance to ensure they don't become brittle or deform during long-term outdoor flights?
Publish Time: 2025-12-12
With drones widely used for aerial photography, inspection, agricultural plant protection, and even logistics delivery, their flight environment is no longer limited to indoors or short periods of clear skies. They are frequently exposed to complex outdoor conditions such as intense sunlight, wind, rain, high humidity, and even high altitudes. As an important component of the aircraft, drone accessories such as shells, gimbal brackets, motor covers, and landing gear covers are prone to aging, discoloration, cracking, or warping during long-term use if they lack sufficient environmental resistance. This not only affects the appearance but may also endanger flight safety. Therefore, the superior UV resistance and weather resistance of drone accessories directly determine their reliable lifespan and overall lifecycle value.
Ultraviolet radiation is a major cause of aging in polymer materials. Although the UV radiation energy in sunlight is invisible, it can break down plastic molecular chains, triggering oxidative degradation reactions that cause surface powdering, cracking, and loss of luster, while the interior becomes brittle and its strength drops sharply. Ordinary plastics can show significant deterioration after months of exposure to sunlight, while engineering plastics specifically designed for drones resist this corrosion through multiple protective mechanisms. First, highly efficient UV absorbers and hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS) are added at the raw material stage. The former acts like "molecular sunscreen," converting harmful UV rays into harmless heat energy; the latter captures free radicals, interrupting the aging chain reaction. These additives are uniformly dispersed in the matrix, providing long-lasting protection.
Second, the chemical structure of the material itself is also crucial. Engineering plastics commonly used in drones, such as polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA, i.e., nylon), and polyoxymethylene (POM), inherently possess good weather resistance. Building upon this, some high-end applications employ carbon fiber reinforcement or glass fiber modification to further suppress thermal expansion and deformation while improving rigidity. Especially in environments with large diurnal temperature variations or high humidity, low water absorption and dimensional stability are key to preventing component deformation and misalignment—for example, if the gimbal bracket expands due to moisture absorption, it may cause camera shift, affecting imaging accuracy.
Furthermore, surface treatment processes also contribute to building this protective barrier. Some parts of the outer shell undergo special spraying or co-extrusion processes to form a dense, UV-resistant surface, enhancing both aesthetics and protection against environmental corrosion. Even after prolonged exposure to wind and sun, it maintains uniform color and structural integrity, preventing sudden breakage due to landing impacts or high-speed airflow caused by localized embrittlement.
From a practical application perspective, this weather resistance is of great significance. Agricultural drones constantly traverse fields, exposed to pesticide droplets and intense sunlight; power line inspection drones frequently take off and land in mountainous areas, deserts, or coastal regions, facing salt spray, dust storms, and extreme temperatures; logistics drones repeatedly navigate between urban skyscrapers, enduring direct sunlight from multiple angles. Under these harsh conditions, only drone accessories with true weather resistance can ensure that every takeoff is based on a reliable foundation.
More importantly, weather resistance is also related to sustainability. When components are less prone to aging, the overall lifespan of the aircraft is extended, reducing premature scrapping due to material failure, and lowering resource consumption and electronic waste generation. This not only protects the user's investment but also fulfills environmental responsibility.
In conclusion, the UV resistance and weather resistance of drone accessories are not simply achieved by "adding some additives," but rather are the result of a systematic approach encompassing materials science, formulation design, structural optimization, and process control. This allows lightweight plastic to remain as robust as ever under the blue sky—silently protecting every safe takeoff and landing and every precise flight in unseen places.
