Automated Coating Spray Path Adaptation for Aircraft
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current coating application systems for complex geometries, such as military aircraft, face challenges in achieving precise coating thickness due to variations in object location and shape, requiring lengthy manual processes and significant labor to compensate for deviations, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing non-contact metrology sensors and a computing subsystem to measure object location and shape, and adjust spray paths in real-time, allowing for automated adaptation of coating application to achieve precise thicknesses with minimal human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If traditional robotic spray coating is used with fixed spray paths, then coating application can be automated, but coating thickness precision deteriorates due to object location and shape variations
Solution Approach 1:
The spray path is transformed from a fixed static trajectory to a dynamic adaptive path that adjusts in real-time based on measured object location and shape. The system continuously scans the object's actual geometry and recalculates spray paths to maintain optimal standoff distance and coating deposition, resolving the contradiction between automation and precision by making the automated system adaptable to variations.
Solution Approach 2:
A measurement system scans the object's actual location and shape, providing feedback to the control system. This feedback loop enables the system to detect deviations from the planned spray path and automatically adjust parameters such as robot position, spray speed, and material flow rate to maintain precise coating thickness despite object variations.
2Manufacturing precision
If the object is positioned in a predetermined location with little room for error, then coating thickness precision can be maintained, but setup time and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary scanning of the object's actual location and shape before coating application begins. This preliminary measurement allows the control system to pre-calculate adjusted spray paths and parameters, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual repositioning or reconfiguration while maintaining coating precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the object to be positioned with extreme precision, the system changes the parameters of the spray process itself - adjusting spray paths, standoff distances, and deposition rates - to accommodate the object's actual position and geometry, thereby reducing setup time while maintaining coating quality.
3Productivity
If model programs are used for expected object shape, then coating application can proceed without detailed measurement, but coating thickness precision deteriorates due to as-built variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces reliance on mechanical object positioning and fixed spray paths with a measurement-based approach. Non-contact scanning technology captures the object's actual geometry, and this data substitutes for model-based assumptions, enabling the system to adapt to as-built variations while maintaining both speed and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray system transitions from using static model programs to dynamic, measurement-based spray paths that adapt to the object's actual shape. This allows the system to maintain high productivity by avoiding manual reconfiguration while achieving precise coating thickness through real-time adaptation to as-built variations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for applying coatings to an object in a spray booth. The system and method include at least one robot that is operable to spray a coating on the object and at least one robot that includes a non-contact metrology sensor that is capable of measuring the object to determine the exact location of the object and the exact shape of the object. The sensor is also capable of measuring the thickness of the coating as it is sprayed on the object. The system and method further include a computing subsystem that is programmed to receive the measurements from the non-contact metrology sensor, where the measurements are used to determine spray paths and to adjust the spray paths for the at least one robot that is operable to spray the coating such that the object is sprayed with a coating that is within predetermined coating thickness tolerances.