F R A U N H O F E R I N S T I T U T E F O R M A N U F A C T U R I N G

T E C H N O L O G Y A N D A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S I F A M

AUTOMATION ANDPRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology

and Advanced Materials IFAM

– Adhesive Bonding Technology and Surfaces –

Institute director:

Prof. Dr. Bernd Mayer

Automation and Production Technology

Head: Dr. Dirk Niermann

Research Center CFK NORD

Ottenbecker Damm 12 | 21684 Stade | Germany

Phone + 49 4141 78707-101 | Fax -682

dirk.niermann@ifam.fraunhofer.de

www.ifam.fraunhofer.de

© Fraunhofer IFAM

The Automation and Production Technology department of

Fraunhofer IFAM is based at Research Center CFK NORD

in Stade.

The department develops and automates assembly and machin-

ing processes for structures made of fiber reinforced plastics.

These processes include adhesive bonding, riveting, drilling,

milling, and waterjet cutting, customized to meet the

individual requirements of customers.

Integrated system solutions and adapted production as well

as plant concepts are drawn up, then realized and optimized

in a 4000 m2 hall (working height 15 m) on a 1:1 scale. For our

customers this means sustainable solutions from a single part-

ner. These can be implemented in series production without

further time or cost, so guaranteeing that our customers are

leaders in innovation and technology.

AUTOMATION AND PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY AT RESEARCH CENTER CFK NORD

WORK ACTIVITIES

Geometry measurement

Mechanical machining

PROCESS CHAIN EX AMPLE: AIRCR AF T

FUSEL AGE ASSEMBLY AND MACHINING

Fuselage section with integrated stringers

Non-destructive testing

Component assembly using adhesive bonding

Joining and assembly technology Shape and positional correction Stress/load monitored assembly Automated joining and shimming Quality surfaces suitable for assembly | FlexPLAS® release film Adhesive bonding Combined adhesive bonding and riveting Surface pre-treatment

Sealing of edges and rivet/bolt heads

Machining technology Milling Drilling Waterjet cutting Process benchmarks Sensor-controlled machining processes

Mobile robot-based machining modules

Automation Integration of measuring technology Improvement of robot precision Offline programming Software development

In cooperation with the Institute for Production

Management and Technology of Hamburg University of

Technology:

PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Jörg Wollnack

(Research field: opto-mechatronics)

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Hintze

(Research field: production technology)

ASSEMBLY OF LARGE LIGHT-WEIGHT DESIGN STRUCTURES

Lightweight design is vital for the future. New construction

methods are allowing improved design, better performance,

and weight-saving.

This is playing a decisive role in the transport industry, – e.g. for

cars, rail vehicles, ships, and aircrafts – because it allows fuel

consumption and CO2 emissions to be reduced and hence has

benefits for resource usage and the environment. Fiber rein-

forced plastics (FRPs) are ideal for lightweight construction be-

cause of their low weight and simultaneous very high strength,

high load limit, and excellent fatigue properties. In the area of

renewable energy, and in particular wind energy, FRPs allow the

use of energy-efficient construction methods and improve the

profitability of wind turbines.

Once the use of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) and carbon

fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) has become established in indus-

try, the number of large FRP structures is expected to grow sub-

stantially.

This will require further development and increased automation

of production processes. For the assembly of large structures, in

particular, this brings many challenges.

Expertise in joining and assembly technology

How can large components, which in some cases differ signifi-

cantly from the specified geometry as a result of the production

processes, be joined to minimize material wastage and maximize

profit? How can innovative materials and combinations of materi-

als be effectively joined and assembled? Adhesive bonding tech-

nology provides the answer here.

Besides their actual joining function, adhesives provide other

useful properties such as complete filling and sealing of different

gap geometries, planar force transfer, absorption of strain/defor-

mation by the adhesive so protecting the substrates, and electri-

cal insulation. Fraunhofer IFAM has longstanding experience of

adhesive bonding processes and develops partly or fully auto-

mated processes that allow highly effective bonded joints to be

realized having good long-term stability. The Automation and

Production Technology department utilizes adhesive bonding on

large 1:1 structures for industrial applications. The department

tackles topical challenges such as developing faster assembly

processes with simultaneous cost-saving. Our technology port-

folio also includes the award-winning FlexPLAS® release film. This

film allows the facile demolding of components and creates

high-quality “ready-to-paint” surfaces.

AUTOMAT I ON AND PRODUC T I ON TECHNOLOGY

Expertise in machining technology

The machining of FRPs involves wholly different challenges to

the machining of metallic materials. This is due to their different

mechanical properties, the anisotropic structure of the materials,

and their sensitivity to high process temperatures.

The machining of components at the end of a high value cre-

ation chain, where CFRPs typically represent ca. 80 percent of

the final manufacturing costs, means that minor processing faults

can result in major financial losses. Fault-free production is essen-

tial here and this can only be achieved by having total control of

processes. An important tool here is fault prevention by monitor-

ing key process parameters.

A further main activity is the realization of versatile plant design.

The necessary process precision here is not achieved with

heavy-duty foundations and heavy steel machinery but is rather

achieved with mobile, precision-controlled processing modules

made of lightweight components, such as industrial robots,

which can be used simultaneously.

Expertise in automation

Automated production plants for the machining and assembly of

large FRP structures need high-precision measurement and con-

trol systems. Many of the processes that are established for the

mass production of smaller components have technological lim-

itations when it comes to processing large structures. The latter

must be treated as unique products due to their production-

related geometrical differences. Under these boundary condi-

tions, the “teaching” of robots does not lead to satisfactory

results.

There is currently a need for intelligent systems which adapt

individually to the relevant component geometry and production

situation. Flexible components must be automatically positioned

and their shape modified.

This is achieved via automated, precise 3D geometry measure-

ment, for example using coupled laser-optic geometry measure-

ment methods.

In addition, the absolute positioning accuracy of offline-pro-

grammed 6-axis industrial robots for large structure assembly

can be improved to 0.1 mm by additional calibration. Sensor-

aided CAD-CAM coupling allows adaptive web guidance in

real time and increases the versatility of production plants.