Spirit Aviation Systems (Spirit) recently received a robotic automated fiber placement (AFP) system developed by American Electronic Impact Corporation. As of now, Spirit Aviation Systems has more than 15 years of experience in manufacturing large composite structures using AFP technology for Boeing, Airbus, and other defense customers. It has several sets from MTorres, Ingersoll and Electronic Impact Corporation. AFP system. The new robot system received from Electronic Impact Company will bring Spirit's total number of AFP machine systems to 17 sets, further strengthening its position as the world's largest AFP technology application manufacturer.
This new robot system will be the second 100% R & D AFP system owned by Spirit. The company is currently seeking to use this equipment system to expand cooperation and carry out related research.
The entire system includes a laying rail and a robot mounted on it, wherein the rail has an interface for installing AFP connectors, and carbon fiber components can be laid using the AFP connectors. The company has made a series of upgrades to high-speed AFP joints, making its automated laying speed twice as fast as traditional AFP joints, and the quality of composite materials produced has been increased by nearly three times.
The new high-speed AFP joint also has higher processing accuracy, and also has the function of real-time monitoring of the automatic laying process. "The high-speed AFP connector guarantees high reliability of equipment operation and greatly improves production efficiency," said Todd Rudberg, senior engineer at Electronic Impact Company.
Spirit's research and technology team is using robotic AFP technology to expand the types of components that can be manufactured automatically, without the limitations of component complexity and cost. Compared with traditional manufacturing systems, robotic AFP systems provide greater flexibility, lower costs, and a smaller footprint, supporting the more automated production of more diverse, more complex, and more sophisticated composite parts. Spirit's composite manufacturing technician Blake Bellman said: "The increase in production speed and reliability of high-speed AFPs has changed the rules of the AFP system game, which will significantly reduce manufacturing costs and increase component manufacturing efficiency.
The rail-mounted robot AFP system has a 34-foot working range. It works with large rotating devices to assemble and rotate tools up to 26 feet in diameter and up to 13 feet in diameter. The system can replace joints of different sizes to produce composite products with thicknesses of 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 inch, and can also be equipped with ultrasonic knives for cutting composite parts.