Project: Portable LAser system for the SurfacE preparation of composite Repairs
As the application of composite materials for the manufacturing of aeronautical parts becomes more extensive, the need for repair of damaged composite parts gets higher. Special systems have been developed to enable both workshop and in situ repair of composite parts, including surface preparation tool kits. However, the surface preparation of the damaged area is still a lengthy, cumbersome and delicate process, taking into consideration the detailed processing requirements specified in the Service Repair Manuals (SRM). This is due to the need for the achievement of very specific and sometimes complex geometries (i.e. gradually increasing in diameter stepping or scarfing of the damaged area etc.) on a very strong and brittle material. Such processing is today achieved by means of high performance sanding equipment, fit on special tooling enabling delicate operations on the damaged structure._x000D_Aim of this project is to develop a portable laser system for the achievement of the requirement surface preparation of composite repairs. Such system will be placed on the area to be processed and will be able to create the required geometry of the damaged area by simple introduction of the desired dimensions. The expected benefits of this new system compared to the existing ones would include achievement of higher geometrical accuracy, reduction of processing time and most importantly, enabling of fully automated control, thus reducing requirements for skilled personnel and eliminating of human errors. When such a work is conducted on thick structures having at least 12 carbon plies, sixteen hours of a skilled technician are needed. Our objective with the micro-laser will be to expedite the task in less than one hour. New aircrafts introduced on the market like Boeing 787, Airbus A380 and A350, have parts with very thick carbon skins. For these aircrafts the challenging issue will be to machine the structure in a short time. The innovation will be the answer to this issue and a successful introduction into the market._x000D__x000D_In the first part of the project, the two major development lines run in parallel, with appropriate feedback between each other to synchronize towards the envisaged project goal. A sketch of the float-chart of the project in annex "PLASER_Annex_WorkPackageDistribution.pdf", page 4 and Consortium agreement, annex B explains this very well. _x000D_The “development line 1” (red arrow in float-chart) is the optimisation of the laser process parameters (especially in terms of surface quality and process time) to meet the specified requirements. The “development line 2” (red arrow in float-chart) is the development of an innovative laser-based repair unit._x000D_After determination of the basic requirement in “line 1”, the decision on the major elements for the portable repair unit (e.g. type of laser, beam guiding, etc) will be finalized and “line 2” will start, proceeding in parallel with the optimisation of the laser parameters in “line1”. The end of the laser process development “line 1” will be evaluated by a full repair situation in lab-scale. Then, “line 1” and “line 2” are joint together by implementation of the developed laser process into the developed portable repair unit. The capability of the new system is first evaluated in lab-scale. Finally, a full repair situation under real in-field conditions will be conducted at an actual airline repair station. _x000D__x000D_The project consortium is led by GMI, a French SME which already possesses more than 50% of the market in tooling for processing of aeronautical structures made of composite materials. GMI will be responsible for the “orientation” of the whole project, through defining the requirements and monitoring of the technological developments. Being already a manufacturer of existing composite surface preparation systems, GMI has a thorough knowledge of the activities, problems and requirements in this area. The CO development of the portable laser system will be performed by CleanLasersysteme (CLS), a German SME specialised in portable laser units for different purpose. CLS, among others, delivers portable laser-based tools for paint stripping and cleaning application to large aircraft manufacturers in Europe. CLS know-how in the development of portable laser systems, together with the ability to adapt appropriate processing heads according to the requirement of applications, ensures the success of the novel laser-based repair unit. The development of the laser process to achieve the required high quality will be performed by LZH, a world-known German research centre in the field of laser applications. The intense cooperation with a wide range of customers from various industries makes evident the orientation of LZH towards industrial applications, while the existence of a large number of different types of lasers in-house, qualifies the research centre to conduct complex evaluation studies on new materials, like specified in the described proposal. _x000D_
| Acronym | PLASER (Reference Number: 4691) |
| Duration | 01/10/2009 - 31/03/2013 |
| Project Topic | Development of portable laser-based repair unit for damaged composite parts in aeronautics. Novel automated and certificated material removal plus cutting of fibre plies with one tool. Features: Higher accuracy, reduction of processing time and most important eliminating of human errors by operator. |
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Project Results (after finalisation) |
PLASER project was aiming for the development of a technology, which would bypass disadvantages occurring during manual routing and grinding of composite structures. A laser-based contact free process has been developed, allowing for a high grade of automation. Integrating such a process into a portable device would make possible an in-situ repair, without the need to dismount the affected parts. During the project, it was shown that the proposed laser process is capable of machining flat and slightly curved CFRP parts, removing material in a stepped or scarfed pattern and producing a surface quality which is suitable for bonded composite repairs. Experiments showed that a bonded repair on laser-treated CFRP was as effective as on a conventionally treated CFRP component. |
| Network | Eurostars |
| Call | Eurostars Cut-Off 2 |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Clean-Lasersysteme GmbH | Partner | Germany |
| 3 | GMI Aero SAS | Coordinator | France |
| 3 | Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. | Partner | Germany |