DoD Targets Real-time Automated Inspection of Composite Layups by Flightware for Major Cost Saving

Manual inspection of AFP layups takes longer than the machine time to create the layup itself and is a major bottleneck and cost driver today

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Flightware

Dec 08, 2015, 04:30 ET

GUILFORD, Conn., Dec. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) recently awarded a contract to Flightware Inc. to develop a real time, automated inspection system for use with Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) equipment that makes large composite parts. This capability allows these machines to operate significantly faster with higher throughput and productivity. This provides part cost saving, reduced capital expenditure, improves production rate and improves the return on investment for composite manufacturing automation.

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Most large and high-rate composite aircraft structure, both military and civilian, is made today using large, high value AFP machines. While these machines lay down or place material into a mold very fast, this operation is stopped every ply (or layer) to allow human inspectors to closely inspect and validate that the machine layup was properly performed. This is repeated dozens to hundreds of times for a single part. In many cases the time to inspect the layup by eye (by teams of inspectors with flashlights) is longer than the machine layup time and as a result the machines are often only productive (i.e. laying down material) less than 30% of the time.

Flightware's Real Time Automated Ply Inspection (RTAPI) program builds on work previously performed under a development contract with NASA. Using commercial sensors and custom software, AFP layups are scanned and compared with the programmed layup instructions created from the part model. Deviations in excess of allowed layup tolerances are automatically detected and presented to the Operator for repair. This substantially reduces inspection time for manual inspection and also creates a detailed digital record of every ply of every part.

The earlier (first generation) Automated Ply Inspection (API) system consists of hardware and software designed to operate in a secondary inspection step after layup, mimicking today's human inspection process. Under the DLA program, API is being modified to work in real time, in parallel with layup being produced by the AFP machine in real time (RT). This RTAPI system completely eliminates the serial inspection step, which can comprise as much as 40% of the total cycle time for an AFP machine operating today. Substantial cost savings can be realized on a wide variety of military and civilian aircraft parts.

Flightware is working with Fives Cincinnati to develop, install and demonstrate the RTAPI system. Demonstration of the system is planned in the later part of 2016 on a Viper 7000 machine at Fives facility in Hebron KY.

About Flightware

Flightware Inc. develops solutions to composite manufacturing and engineering challenges faced by its customers. It has played a key role in many Government and Customer funded programs to develop composite materials, processes and equipment for a variety of aerospace applications.

About Fives

FIVES has the largest installed base of fiber placement systems in the world, which includes their Cincinnati VIPER 1200, 4000 and 6000 Fiber Placement System platforms. The Fives composite systems installed base produce the most number of certified aerospace composite parts in the industry. With unmatched production capabilities for a large variety of complex parts and nearly 30 years fiber placement experience, FIVES has the highest productivity, highest accuracy and lowest scrap rate in the industry,

About DLA

The Defense Logistics Agency provides the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, other federal agencies and partner nation armed forces a full spectrum of logistics, acquisition and technical services and supplies nearly 90 percent of the military's spare parts. In 2014, DLA generated more than $38 billion in revenue and, if ranked in the Fortune 500, DLA would be ranked #79.

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