JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #121 - May 2018 - 17

Innovation report

A wireless positioning inspection system
Tecnatom's aerospace division showed
Wireless Positioning Inspection System
(WiiPA), an innovative manual inspection equipment that intended to provide
a low-budget solution to some NDT applications traditionally addressed to high-end
and costly automated systems: testing of complex geometry components. To achieve this,
WiiPA integrates two state-of-the-art technologies: artificial vision positioning and 3D inspection software, with highly competitive advantages but at the same
time it saves costs for the customer. WiiPA system emulates a six axes
machine for multiple geometries and parts dimensions. It is based on
motion capture using IR cameras and markers for tracking the inspection probes with great accuracy and cadence. Among its proven advantages for the aerospace sector highlight that the system provides
position and spatial orientation of multiple probes (UT/ET), it is productive thanks to the use of phased-array technology, easy to install
and suitable for multiple dimensions and geometries. WiiPA also offers reinspection possibility for not covered areas at real time. To present its different kind of applications, Tecnatom show a more simplified WiiPA's systems at this booth.
www.tecnatom.es

Multi-sector

Automated laminating cell and
automated honeycomb potting
Airborne introduced its fully automated laminating cell using tape laying, cutting, and pick & place of composite laminates, and showed its
automated honeycomb potting solution to fill sandwich honeycomb
with potting compound. The Automated Laminating Cell (ALC) is
a low-cost platform that combines three
functionalities: tape laying of the laminate, cutting by the robot of the finished laminate into the required shapes,
and then pick & place for offloading the
laminates to the next process step. The
cell is highly flexible and can switch easily and within 1 minute between
its automated tape laying, automated cutting and pick & place functionalities. The Automated Honeycomb Potting solution is designed to fill honeycomb blanks efficiently and accurately with potting compound. This new
system will solve issues such as costs, accuracy and repeatability of potting,
and thereby lowering the weight of the end product. It is also a very flexible
system. The workflow is automated, with an easy-to-use pre-processor. Any
shape of potting geometry can be used, and the machine code is automatically generated. The system features real-time quality control, measures the
height of the honeycomb blank and adjusts the potting process.
www.airborne.com

PRODUCTION

Multi-sector

A fully digital production line for carbon
fibre rear wall panel
The patented Voith Roving
Applicator (VRA) is the
core and one of the main
parts of this state-of-theart production line producing the
CFRP rear panel for the new Audi
A8.
This high-load structural component has a complex carbon fibre
structure with local reinforcements and is produced using direct fibre
placement technology.
In this context, robust preforming without gaps and creases is crucial
to meet the stringent quality and cycle time requirements.
Voith developed an efficient forming simulation method to enable
the required segmented stamp forming process, which follows the
innovative VRA fibre placement process. After the preforming, a
high-pressure resin transfer moulding (HP-RTM) process is used to
inject the matrix through the fibre material.
Subsequently the parts are trimmed by a milling process, a machine
washing and fully automated assembly with metallic subcomponents.
The transport between the single process steps is done by robotic systems, leading to a new level of production automation of composite
components.
www.voith.com
Automotive

Aeronautics

An all-in-one shipping container that speeds
production for aerospace manufacturers
The solution, developed by Web Industries and called the SpoolKit,
is an all-in-one shipping container that packages different types of formatted materials together. Web's SpoolKit can carry slit tape spools,
rolled ply kits and other composite materials in the same package. It
delivers the right assortment of formatted
materials in the correct quantities and in
the proper order needed for efficient production runs. The SpoolKit is strategically
packaged according to the manufacturer's
specific requirements. Web's PlyScan system with video verification monitors the
packing process and ensures that the container has the right formatted materials in the correct quantities and proper order for production. The system
provides both documentation and traceability to the customer. The container is also collapsible, allowing convenient access at the receiving end by the
manufacturer. SpoolKit container is typically made of heavy-duty reinforced
plastic. It is usually divided into several layers or compartments for optimal
protection of different formatted materials. The SpoolKit is designed for shipment in refrigerated trucks approved for the transport of advanced composite materials. The kit carries an on-board temperature recorder that continually monitors and ensures that the composite materials remain at the right
temperature during transit.
www.webindustries.com

A procedure to speed-up filament winding process
Roth Composite Machinery developed Rothawin, a procedure accelerating filament winding processes by five to ten times. After the fully-automated filament winding technology having been developed by the traditional company tracing back to the former company Bolenz & Schäfer,
the machine builder from Hesse is setting new standards by the high-speed winding process.
www.roth-composite-machinery.com
N°121 May - June 2018 /

jec composites magazine

http://www.airborne.com http://www.tecnatom.es http://www.webindustries.com http://www.voith.com http://www.roth-composite-machinery.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #121 - May 2018