Composite Sheet Cutting Pattern Revision Around Detected Defects
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of composite structures is hindered by the complex and time-consuming process, which often results in costly defects that are only identified during final inspection, leading to significant productivity and revenue losses.
Innovation Solution
A material inspection system integrated with a cutting machine that uses sensors to detect defects in composite material sheets, allowing for the generation of a revised cutting pattern that maximizes material usage while avoiding defective areas, thereby reducing waste and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional composite manufacturing processes are used with final inspection, then structural integrity can be verified, but defects are only identified after the curing process, resulting in significant loss of time and productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements inspection systems that detect defects in composite materials before the curing process begins. Sensors scan the material during handling and preparation stages, identifying flaws such as delamination, foreign object debris, or improper layup patterns early in the manufacturing sequence. This preliminary detection allows defective materials to be rejected before committing time and resources to the lengthy curing process, thereby maintaining reliability while significantly reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms where inspection data from sensors is immediately processed and fed back to operators during the manufacturing process. This continuous monitoring and feedback loop enables immediate identification and correction of defects before they propagate through subsequent manufacturing steps, ensuring structural integrity is maintained while preventing wasted time on defective components.
2Measurement precision
If multiple inspection steps are implemented throughout the manufacturing process, then defect detection capability is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple inspection functions into integrated sensor systems that perform various defect detection tasks simultaneously. For example, a single inspection station may use ultrasonic sensors, thermal cameras, and optical scanners to detect different types of defects (internal delamination, surface flaws, dimensional deviations) in one unified process step. This merging approach maintains high measurement precision while avoiding the complexity and time consumption of multiple separate inspection steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection systems are designed with multi-functionality, where a single inspection apparatus can detect multiple types of defects across different stages of manufacturing. The sensors and imaging systems are configured to identify various flaw types (material defects, structural issues, geometric deviations) using the same hardware platform, thereby improving defect detection capability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Reliability
If comprehensive final inspection is performed on all composite structures, then all defects can be identified, but productivity and revenue are significantly reduced due to the inspection process and subsequent rework
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs comprehensive defect identification early in the manufacturing process, before curing and assembly operations. By scanning materials and partially assembled structures at intermediate stages, the system identifies defects that would otherwise require time-consuming final inspection and potential disassembly for rework. This preliminary comprehensive inspection maintains high reliability while preserving productivity by catching issues before they become entrenched in finished products.
Solution Approach 2:
The accelerated inspection system uses advanced sensors and automated analysis to rapidly scan and evaluate composite structures, reducing the time required for comprehensive defect identification. The system prioritizes critical inspection zones and uses algorithms to quickly assess defect severity, enabling thorough inspection without the traditional time penalties, thereby maintaining productivity while ensuring all defects are identified.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a material-inspection system for planning a cutting pattern for a composite material sheet based on a detected defect. The system comprises one or more sensors to measure one or more material properties of the composite material sheet; a cutter assembly having a cutter tool to cut the composite material sheet; a control system comprising a processor and a storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed by the processor, configured to: obtain an initial cutting pattern for the composite material sheet, wherein the initial cutting pattern comprises a plurality of shapes to be cut; determine a defect in the composite material based on a sensor; determine a reject region in the composite material around the defect; shift one or more shapes of the plurality of shapes away from the reject region; and provide a revised cutting pattern based on the shifting to be cut by the cutter assembly.