CompositesWorld
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67 CompositesWorld.com NEWS N E W S N S N E W S E N W S W CFK-Valley Stade Convention layup process. Program targets are ambitious: Reduce inspection times by 95%, nonconformities by 50% and total inspection time, including NDT, by 50%. Dr. Fabian Schreiber, a board member at ark industrie AG in Aachen, showed how many elements necessary for implementing Industry 4.0 in the composite industry are available today. Tese range from ways of communicating with operators (Google Glass) to the use of the cloud. Textile machines, such as braiders, could incorporate RFID chips in each bobbin, to control material supply, and stress sensors in each braided structure for health monitoring, allowing the safe use of lighter structures. Alexander Schönberg, FFT Produktionssysteme GmbH & Co. (Fulda- Rodges, Germany), described a system FFT developed to locate the stringers on the Airbus A350 wingskins. A circumferential and longitudinal toler- ance of about ±1 mm after curing is required. Terefore, the stringers must be positioned by robots with 0.3 mm accuracy. Te end-efector is moved by four robots located on each side of the tool. Te accuracy requires that the position is checked by laser trackers that send signals to the robots together with data from a force sensor. Te FTT technology is called absolute robot posi- tioning (Ab.Ro.Pos) and uses an Emscon-client to manage laser trackers (Leica AT901-XR with a T-Mac) and an ATI Omega 160 force/torque sensor on each of the end-efectors. Dr. John Klintworth, director of strategy at Dassault Systèmes (Woking, UK), wrapped up the conference by uniting the conven- tion's composites and Industry 4.0 themes. He talked about using a single data model that could transform the efciency of using composites by modeling and simulating all the processes, from design through to manufacturing. What was new was the plan to include an integrated cost model in the system, so that designers could quickly compare the cost of diferent options. Welcome change We live in a time when the overall manufacturing industry is about to go through one of its occasional "revolutions." Te composites industry will not be exempt. In fact, the complexity of the products made from composites and the associated intricacies of composite designs indicate that our industry will have the most to gain. So let us all welcome the changes that are approaching! Read this article online: short.compositesworld.com/CFK-2015 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bob Grifths is a CW contributing writer and owner of ERG Ltd., a consultancy to the composite industry based in Somerton, UK. bobgrifths@btinternet.com