JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #54 - January 2010 - 48

KNOW-HOW Laser projection Recent innovations in laser templating New markets are opening up to laser projection technology, providing new applications that stimulate further innovation. Thanks to recent developments, productivity and return on investment are increasing, allowing systems to find many more uses. N.CARLOS PINTO, EUROPEAN ACCOUNT OWNER, VIRTEK VISION INTERNATIONAL INC. & DYLAN MACLEAN MARKETING COMMUNICATION MAGESTIC SYSTEMS Normal capabilities now include projecting not only the outline of a part but also the assembly part number or other instructions, the fibre direction, and other features of processcritical information directly on the work surface. Improvements such as these give the technology access to applications where previously the return on investment (ROI) on a laser projector would not have justified the investment. aser projection is finding users in new markets. Thanks to recent innovations, new applications are now possible, and their success is fuelling further technological developments and new markets. L New markets and applications Since the early days of laser templating, projectors have become cheaper and their performance has increased, leading to more widespread use in traditional markets. Large Tier 1 aerospace manufacturers historically owned many, if not hundreds of laser templating devices. Smaller manufacturers are now also finding that their uses for this technology also provide very good ROI. The light personal aircraft (e.g. VLJ), the higher-end civil marine and the naval defence industries have all started employing laser projection for specific situations, for instance where re-work carries a hefty price tag. One example is a smaller personal aircraft where more expensive prepreg materials are used sparingly for specific structural applications. Here, while reducing the skill level required from the operator, the laser not only helps to optimize the use of these more expensive materials and minimize waste, it also avoids costly repairs that occur due to an improperly placed piece or drilled hole. In these applications, quick calibration and ease of use by the operator are critical to achieve the desired benefits. With the ongoing expansion in wind-generated electricity, wind turbine blades are growing to new lengths and production volumes are increasing constantly. Structural analysis for these longer turbine blades is driving the use of new materials that demand more advanced manufacturing methods and accurate application. Materials must be chosen that will avoid structural failure and minimize waste, as these could have devastating effects on the operations of a wind turbine manufacturer in a very competitive marketplace. The moulds used for these components depend A brief history of laser templating Originally developed in the late 1980’s to reduce costs, accelerate long build times, and meet the high quality requirements of aerospace applications such as the composite wings and fuselage of fighter aircraft, laser templating has come a long way. Today’s advanced 3D and multitasking-capable laser projection systems are very different from the MS-DOS-based system that used a red diode laser and projected simple, mostly 2D guidelines. Some are not only capable of projecting highly accurate profiles on very complex surfaces using reference targets, but also able to integrate with other technologies (i.e. metrology devices) to increase the scope of their usefulness. The high-accuracy laser line drawn on a complex 3D surface has guided an assembler where to position a sheet of material or component for some time. With the improvements over the years in galvanometer technology, refresh rates have grown ever higher, to the point where rates around 30Hz and higher seem quite common. (Essentially, any rate over 30Hz is perceived as a solid line by the naked eye.) These higher rates have gradually made it possible to cover larger and more complex projection areas. Along with the improvements seen in the hardware itself, the software controlling the laser projectors is now far removed from the packages available back in the days of MS-DOS control. jec composites magazine / No54 January 2010

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #54 - January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #54 - January 2010