The strength of a composite component is dependent on the correct alignment of the fibres from which it is made; fibres which are laid incorrectly can result in a range of defects that affect the structural integrity of the final part. While quality checks during the lay-up process are vital they can take 70 per-cent or more of total machine time and is a huge cost.

Detecting such defects, from gaps and overlaps to the presence of foreign objects and debris, at the relatively early lay-up stage of production is much more efficient and cost effective than identifying unacceptable weak points in the material once it is part of a completed component.

The Composite Centre at the AMRC has researched what systems were being successfully employed in related applications which identified the capabilities of the Absolute Arm and its laser scanner options, products developed by Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division.

Hexagon has developed a composite inspection system especially for measuring fibre orientations, which we believed could be a potential candidate for solving some of our inspection problems. They were able to bring the system to the AMRC to perform a case study – an Absolute Arm with RS5 Laser Scanner and a Vision System 3D.

The Vision System 3D is a camera-based sensor that can accurately detect the orientation of composite fibres using pixel-based algorithms. The system uses a metrological Absolute Arm for position referencing and, combined with scans made using the arm’s laser scanner and camera functionalities, this fibre orientation data can be mapped onto a three-dimensional model of the part being inspected using the dedicated Explorer 3D software platform.

The system lets us validate the design and simulation work that we do at our desks to make sure our design intent is being manufactured, so it becomes a good validation step for our design and manufacture process.

The researchers are primarily using the system for weaving, braiding and preforming processes. Once they perform that initial manufacturing process, they can bring the part to the workstation and use the new inspection system to do a scan of the part to generate the 3D profile of the part.

Using some of the advanced algorithms that are built into the software, they are able to determine fibre orientations that can give an indication of some of the defects that are present in the part.

That information is then taken back into the design and analysis software to update the models with the data from the as-manufactured part in order to perform an analysis which can then be compared against the as-designed part. This provides valuable information for comparing both ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ environments.

This system is one of a number of solutions for composite fibre inspection that has been developed by Hexagon’s Vision and Composites product group in Aachen, Germany. The next stage of the project is to investigate how the technology can be further developed to make them robust enough to pick up some of the more complex defects that we’re hoping to achieve solutions for in the near future.

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Kordsa sees the partnership as an opportunity to quickly scale up the business to new composite technologies. Combining the AMRC’s manufacturing techniques with their own composite materials, Kordsa aims to be among the major players in the UK aviation and automotive network by developing new advanced composite technologies.

Kordsa has been a market leader in tyre reinforcement since the company was founded in 1973. In 2016, the company established the Composite Technologies Centre of Excellence (CTCE) in Istanbul in partnership with Sabancı University as part of an initiative to push the boundaries of advanced composite material technologies.

The CTCE site at Technopark Istanbul is 3,500 m2 and has capabilities for material and mechanical characterisation tests, additive manufacturing, polymer processing and advanced composite manufacturing methods using several methods including autoclave and automated fibre placement as well. It is the only production and test centre in Turkey which meets the international aerospace requirements. Established to produce the technology of the future, the CTCE serves as an innovation hub.

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The robotic countersinking technology was developed through collaborative research, led by the AMRC and involving KUKA Systems UK. This production system has now been installed at BAE Systems in the UK, where it will be used to processes a wide range of composite components for military aircraft.

The robotic countersinking technology includes the use of multiple robots to automatically handle composite components and then countersink high tolerance pre-drilled fastener holes.

Non-contact metrology integrated with the machining robot locates predrilled holes and corrects the robot’s position before countersinking. A separate robot provides support to the component eliminating expensive holding fixtures. The system is controlled via the latest S7 Siemens programmable login controller (PLC) and includes the use of augmented reality to aid component fixturing.

Ben Morgan, head of the AMRC’s Integrated Manufacturing Group, said

The architecture of the system will allow the technology to evolve over time and embrace the ideas behind Industry 4.0. We’re now advancing the development system further, enabling process monitoring and generating ‘Big Data’. Analysis of this data, i.e. ‘Data Mining’ will provide an understanding of quality in process.

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Prof Richard Day will work with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing (AMRC) and the National Composites Centre in Bristol (NCC) to develop microwave technology that industry could use to cut curing times, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Richard is Professor of Composites Engineering at Glyndŵr University, in Wrexham and an expert on the rapid manufacturing of composites, critical for the next generation of aircraft. He founded the North West Composites Centre at Manchester University before joining Glyndŵr University in 2010, where he helped form the Advanced Composites Training and Development Centre with Airbus in Broughton, Flintshire.

He will work closely with both the AMRC and National Composites Centre to develop microwave ovens as an alternative to conventional technology, using autoclaves – ovens that heat components under pressure. Researchers have been using microwaves to cure composites for some years, but have yet to develop robust processes that could be used by industry to make geometrically complex parts, as opposed to flat panels.

The four-year research programme will explore and overcome manufacturing problems associated with microwave curing, before going on to make complex components, identical to those used in aeroplanes.

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The new home for the University of Sheffield’s AMRC Composites centre is now open for business

Previously the centre was based in the original AMRC building on the Advanced Manufacturing Park, the new Composite Centre has now moved into bespoke facilities in a 1,800 sq m extension to the AMRC Factory of the Future. Construction of the extension was funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the UK Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

This new facility will allow the AMRC Composite Centre to provide a full range of design, manufacturing, assembly and structural testing services for advanced composite materials. The Composite Centre also works with complex hybrid components and systems, which require manufacturing expertise in both composite and metallic structures.

The new centre includes a general workshop and a controlled environment with high-spec clean rooms. It is equipped with a growing selection of state-of-the-art design, development and processing equipment, including a automated fibre placement robot, 5-axis machining centres, filament winding machine, and selection of autoclaves and ovens.

The new equipment includes a major upgrade to the AMRC’s fibre placement robot provided by member company Automated Dynamics. Using such robots to automate the production of composite parts can help ensure consistent high quality of production, and reduce material waste.

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