Open-face molding for aircraft skin coating uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing molding techniques find it difficult to apply uniform thickness of low-observable coatings to aircraft skin surfaces with slightly varying contour profiles, requiring a time-consuming multi-stage spraying process.
Innovation Solution
An open-face injection molding apparatus with a rigid tool backing, a conformable tool face, and an array of actuators that adjust the mold cavity gap distances to ensure uniform coating thickness by deflecting the conformable tool face relative to the rigid tool backing, forming a mold cavity that matches the workpiece surface contours.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional molding techniques are used to apply coatings to aircraft skin surfaces with varying contour profiles, then the coating application process is simple, but the coating thickness uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a conformable tool face with multiple actuators that can dynamically adjust and deflect to match varying workpiece surface contours. This dynamic adaptability allows the molding apparatus to maintain uniform coating thickness across surfaces with different profiles, resolving the contradiction between coating precision and device complexity by making the tool face flexible rather than rigid
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the tool face by making it conformable and adjustable through actuators. This allows the tool face to change its shape and position to match different workpiece contours, thereby achieving uniform coating thickness while accommodating surface variations without requiring completely different molding apparatus for each surface profile
2Manufacturing precision
If multi-stage spraying process is used to achieve uniform coating thickness, then the coating thickness uniformity is improved, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by using the conformable tool face and actuators to pre-establish the exact mold cavity shape that matches the workpiece surface contour before coating injection. This preliminary contour matching ensures that a single-stage injection process can achieve uniform coating thickness, eliminating the need for multiple spraying stages and thereby improving productivity while maintaining coating precision
3Stability of the object's composition
If rigid tooling is used for molding, then the structural stability is improved, but the adaptability to varying surface contours deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tool face into multiple independently controllable sections, each actuated by separate actuators. This segmentation allows each section to independently deflect and adapt to local surface contours while the overall tool structure remains stable and rigid, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and contour adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a conformable tool face that acts as a flexible element between the rigid tooling structure and the workpiece surface. This flexible face can deflect to match varying contours while being supported by the stable rigid tooling, thereby combining the stability of rigid structures with the adaptability needed for contour matching
Data Source
AI summary
An open-face molding apparatus for use in open-face injection molding operations to more accurately control the thickness of coatings applied to workpiece surfaces of slightly varying contour profiles. A conformable tool face is carried by a rigid tool backing and a perimeter seal releasably seals the conformable tool face around its perimeter to the workpiece surface. The conformable tool face and perimeter seal define a mold cavity together with the workpiece surface. An array of actuators are connected between the rigid tool backing and the conformable tool face to provide a desired tool face contour and desired spacings between the conformable tool face and a workpiece surface by deflecting the conformable tool face relative to the rigid tool backing.