{"id":5661,"date":"2022-10-31T17:09:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T21:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/?p=5661"},"modified":"2024-11-25T13:37:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T18:37:06","slug":"changing-composite-with-robodk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robodk.com\/blog\/changing-composite-with-robodk\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fives Group is Changing Composite Lay-Up with RoboDK"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Composite lay-up (a core step in the process of making a composite part) is traditionally a labor-intensive process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process requires skilled technicians to create the parts needed using specialized tools and equipment. This is often slow and expensive, which limits the quantity of parts that composite manufacturers can make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Composites & Automated Solutions group at Fives has developed a technology that allows their customers to create composite parts using a robotic fiber placement head. This technology provides a lower-cost entry point into the composite lay-up process, making it easier for manufacturers to create the parts they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has the potential to significantly improve the composite lay-up process for Fives’ customers. Robotic solutions like this can help more companies to get the benefits of automation and compete in their markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, this benefits the end users of the created products, in this case aerospace companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s how Fives Group used RoboDK to create their new solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Aerospace Needs Close Tolerances for Fiber Placement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The aerospace industry has notoriously strict quality requirements and tighter tolerances than many other industries. Aircraft manufacturing involves a delicate balance between strength and weight. There is less margin for error than in other industries, where safety can be assured by a high safety factor \u2013 with an aircraft, you need to know you’re building it right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These strict requirements make it especially necessary to use high-quality materials and manufacturing processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fiber placement is one such process that requires tight tolerances. The accurate placement of fibers in a composite part is critical to the strength and durability of the finished product, such as an airplane wing.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Composites play an important role in reducing the weight of aircraft, helping to improve fuel efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Fiber-reinforced plastics are used widely in the aerospace industry because of their high strength-to-weight ratios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A challenge is that fiber placement is a labor-intensive process. A single part can contain thousands of fibers, which would be almost impossible to place manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automated fiber placement<\/a> is a process where automated machinery is used to create multi-layered composite products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Introducing Fives Group and High Precision Machines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fives Group<\/a> is a multinational industrial engineering group that offers innovative solutions and products to help major industry leaders boost their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company’s philosophy is that industry is the answer to the major issues in the modern world, such as environmental, societal, and economic challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Precision Machines group<\/a> is one group within Fives. It is dedicated to developing manufacturing machinery that meets the most stringent requirements of accuracy, repeatability, and reliability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their technologies include solutions for material removal, composites and automated solutions<\/a>, grinding, cutting, filling, sealing, and laser systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group is always looking for new ways to help their customers improve their processes. This can mean creating solutions that do things differently from the existing options on the market, as with this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robotic Fiber Placement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One challenge for manufacturers is that composite lay-up processes are often complex and expensive. Automation is necessary, but the cost of entry can be prohibitive for some companies and manufacturing groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amanda Kotchon, Controls Engineer at Fives, explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We wanted to provide a lower-cost entry point into the composite lay-up market by allowing end users to quickly make complex parts to within aerospace tolerances.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To do this, the group decided to use robots for the labor-intensive process of fiber placement, in a project titled the Cincinnati Robotic Viper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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