Aircraft Wing Surface Patching With Scan-Guided 3D Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft wing surface imperfections lead to turbulent air flow, increasing fuel consumption, as current methods are inadequate for effectively filling these imperfections.
Innovation Solution
A method involving scanning, digitization, 3D printing, and surface preparation to create and apply patches that fill imperfections, using a control unit to guide a scanner and 3D printer, with optional primer, top coat, and heat-shrink film application to enhance adhesion and aerodynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional filling methods are used for surface imperfections, then the process is simple, but the filling effectiveness is insufficient and cannot eliminate turbulent flow
Solution Approach 1:
The filling process is segmented into distinct operational phases: scanning the wing surface to identify imperfections, computing the precise geometry of each defect, determining optimal patch parameters, generating digital models, and executing the 3D printing operation. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, ensuring high filling effectiveness while managing overall process complexity through systematic organization.
Solution Approach 2:
A digital model of the patch is generated by copying and adapting the geometry of the surface imperfection. The digital model serves as a precise template that is then used to guide the 3D printing process, ensuring that the physical patch perfectly matches the imperfection's shape and size. This copying approach eliminates the need for manual measurement and fabrication, significantly improving filling effectiveness.
2Manufacturing precision
If 3D printing is used to create customized patches, then the filling precision is high, but the manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The digital model of the patch is generated in advance through automated computation based on scanned surface data. This preliminary digital preparation allows the actual 3D printing process to proceed without interruptions for measurement or design adjustments, maintaining high precision while improving overall productivity by pre-processing all planning steps before manufacturing begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The 3D printing process parameters (such as layer thickness, print speed, and material deposition rate) are optimized and adjusted based on the specific characteristics of each patch. By dynamically changing these parameters according to the digital model's requirements, the system achieves high manufacturing precision while minimizing printing time, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and productivity.
3Measurement precision
If the wing is scanned under load, then the surface geometry is accurate under flight conditions, but the scanning process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The scanning system is designed to accommodate dynamic scanning conditions where the wing may be under various load states. The system can scan the wing both under load (to capture flight-condition geometry) and unloaded (for reference comparison). This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to different operational states without requiring fundamentally different scanning equipment, maintaining measurement precision while managing complexity through flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method quickly and simply fills surface imperfections, improving airflow laminarity and reducing fuel consumption by creating customized digital patches that adhere well to the wing surface.
Implementation Method 1
a scanning step during which a control unit controls a first movement system so as to move a scanner past the surface of the wing that is to be filled and commands the activation of the scanner which scans the surface
Implementation Method 2
a printing step during which the control unit controls a second movement system so as to move a 3D printer past each surface imperfection that is to be filled and commands the activation of the 3D printer in order to make it print the patch into the surface imperfection
Implementation Method 3
In order to encourage the patch to stick, the filling method comprises a preparation step prior to the printing step, during which step a primer is applied to the surface of the wing that is to be filled
Implementation Method 4
the printing step is followed by a smoothing step during which a top coat having surface characteristics compatible with laminar flow of the air is sprayed over each patch
Implementation Method 5
the printing step, or the smoothing step if present, is followed by a covering step during which a heat-shrink film is applied to the surface of the wing that has had the patches applied
Data Source
AI summary
A filling method for filling surface imperfections on a surface of a wing comprising a scanning step in which a control unit controls a movement of a scanner past the surface of the wing to scan the surface and transmit the collected data to the control unit, a computation step in which the control unit computes a digitized surface from the data, a determination step in which the control unit determines each surface imperfection by comparing the reference surface and the digitized surface, a generation step in which the control unit generates a digital model of the patch intended to fill the surface imperfection, and a printing step in which the control unit controls the movement of a 3D printer past each surface imperfection and commands the activation of the 3D printer in order to make it print the patch.