NEWS
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CompositesWorld.com
Read this article online |
short.compositesworld.com/RecnfgTool
Read online CW's feature article titled,
"Preforming goes industrial, Part 1" |
short.compositesworld.com/PreformPt1
Read more online about the Carbon Core
hybrid composite-metal BIW for BMW's 7
Series in "BMW 7 Series Plant: Dingolfing,
Germany" |
short.compositesworld.com/BMW7Series
Read more online about Surface
Generation's Subtractive Pin Tooling and
GKN's STeM-based winglet technology in
the following:
"Tooling and Toolmaking Innovations
Continue" |
short.compositesworld.com/wt8KebWa
"GKN leads STeM program to successful
conclusion" |
short.compositesworld.com/GKN-STeM
to cut weight, parts count and cost (Learn
More). e winglet assembly tooling uses a
lower fixture made from Prodtex BoxJoint,
ShimBox and TFS units to locate the upper
skin and metal components. A separate
cradle fixture that comprises carbon
fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) tubes is
then used by a robotic arm to pick up the
lower winglet skin and dock it into the
lower holding fixture. "en you can drill
the lower cover and complete assembly,"
explains Helgosson. "Since the system is
common and modular, we were able to
combine stock and new parts to create the
small-scale demonstrator fixture at very
short notice," says Phillip Scott, GKN Aero-
space technology project engineer. "We
were also able to use Prodtex' CATIA tools
to perform a significant redesign of a large
fixture and then carry out the redesign
process on the shop floor in three days."
e CFRP cradle, typical of Prodtex'
Lightweight Structures products, uses
CFRP tubes and plates by TETRAFIX. Spid-
erlike, these fixtures are smaller and lighter
than metal alternatives, enabling smaller,
faster, more cost-effective robots. "We
also see drilling jigs where the operator
has to lift up for docking into the holding
frame for the structure being assembled
[e.g., wing, car chassis]," notes Helgosson.
"e lighter, stiffer CFRP fixtures make it
easier for one person to lift and maneuver
these jigs." A prime example is a fixture
TETRAFIX built for hood installa-
tion on the Volvo XC90 assembly
line. Says Helgosson, "Volvo
was able to replace the previous
aluminum fixture, which required
two operators, with a 3.5-kg fixture
easily lifted by a single worker."
Prodtex is now working on its first CFRP Flexapod (see CW's "Applications" story, p. 39).
What will the composites factory of the future look like? Increasingly automated,
certainly, but given the cost/time savings and risk reductions already demonstrated,
equipped with reconfigurable tooling and fixturing as well.
CW senior editor Ginger Gardiner has an
engineering/materials background and
more than 20 years of experience in the
composites industry.
ginger@compositesworld.com
Reconfigurable Tooling & Fixtures