Nikon solution increases composite-part production

This methodology allows manufacturers to overcome the engineering specifications set in place for composite parts and to achieve success with minimal waste.

The PCS and Radar offer composite-part manufacturers a solution that utilises metrology, ply-nesting and laser-projection technologies to produce composite parts within engineering tolerances.

By combining Laser Radar and PCS technologies, manufacturers put in place an automated Metrology Assisted Production process that delivers parts of predictable quality, while rigorously reducing scrap and maintaining accuracy, scalability and ease of use.

Mike Weber, Magestic, said: 'PCSTM takes parts that have been produced slightly outside of engineering tolerances and builds them up by single or multiple composite-compensation ply layers into finished parts that satisfy all structural and engineering requirements - the first time through the production process.

'This revolutionary method ensures that as-built composite parts adhere to as-designed specifications, while reducing material usage and improving efficiency.' The process starts with identifying those surface areas on composite parts that need compensation ply treatment.

'Within a range of 60m, the contactless Laser Radar system from Nikon Metrology captures the surface geometry of composite parts of any shape and size, without requiring SMR or other targets,' said Francky Demeester, Nikon Metrology.

'The Laser Radar is fully automatable and programmable, and measures nominal deviation very accurately, both in plane- and surface-vector-intersection modes (PVI and SVI).

Automatic Process to Measure, Nest, Cut, and Lay Up Compensation Plies Based on the Laser Radar's geometry data and the resulting nominal deviation of the tool surface, MSI's Ply Compensation System manages the definition and creation of multi-layer compensation plies.

After processing this step, MSI's Trunest builds nests of the necessary compensation plies and automatically cuts them out to be laid up.

Trulaser View kits the compensation plies while still on the cutting table and projects the exact location of where on the deficient part they need to be placed, keeping all grain constraints in mind.

Following this, the part is ready to be re-cured to obtain final geometry.

The finished composite part is then measured again with Laser Radar for geometry deviation.