To reduce tooling and labor costs associated with net trimming of composite aerostructure components, a system has been designed and implemented which combines the flexibility and accuracy of robotics with the productivity of abrasive water jet cutting. The system is comprised of a large, six-axis gantry robot which uses specially developed abrasive water jet end effectors to trim the edge-of-panel (EOP) and integral stiffener blades. These end effectors employ compact catchers to contain the spent stream, and thereby eliminate the need for large catcher tanks commonly used in abrasive water jet cutting. The robot is offline programmed to perform trimming on large, complex contoured panels while a vision system monitors kerf width.
Robotic abrasive water jet cutting of composite aerostructure components
Robotisiertes abrasives Wasserstrahlschneiden von Flug- und Leitwerkteilen aus Verbundwerkstoffen
Technical Paper. Society of Manufacturing Engineers ; Sep ; 1-15
1987
15 Seiten, 11 Bilder, 2 Tabellen
Conference paper
English