It’s been a difficult few months for all industries during lockdown. Factories have been forced to close down, production has decreased, and the economy has suffered. This is especially evident within aerospace. With commercial airlines grounded since April and only limited cargo and private flights running, the demand for new aircraft and maintenance has dropped dramatically giving opportunity for aerospace companies to look towards improving their businesses.
For some time now, several aircraft engine manufacturers have been looking for ways to increase productivity and efficiency. Some manufacturers even have warehouses around the country piled high with quarantined engine parts which have been removed and replaced, but without extensive quality control checks to see if the parts which have been removed are within serviceable repair. In essence, they could be throwing away a perfectly sound component, or one which can be repaired and returned to flight. The costs associated with the MRO sector are large, replacing turbine blades can exceed £10,000 for a single component. Decision making on whether defects and deterioration on the parts can be repaired is a labour-intensive process for engine manufacturers and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) bases across the country. This is where GOM’s ATOS systems comes in, by automatic measurement and defect detection the decision-making process is sped up and the 3D data can be reused to streamline additive and adaptive manufacturing processes.
One of the highest-resolution scanners in the GOM arsenal, the ATOS 5 for Airfoil has been designed specifically for turbine industries. With its optimized working distance and measuring areas from 100 x 70 mm² , it delivers high-precision 3D data of the smallest details in a short measuring time – the ATOS 5 for Airfoil can create a full 3D ‘digital twin’ of a turbine blade within a few minutes or a complete blisk in less than one hour. Once an inspection has been defined, it can be automatically repeated for any number of blades or blisk.
For more traditional quality control analysis of turbine blades and vane airfoils, the typical 2D sectional inspections included are: profile mean line, profile centroid, profile and edge thickness measurements and more. Having the digital-twin allows for many more possibilities. The component’s wear, corrosion, dents, chips in ceramic coatings are some parameters being automatically analysed and categorised by customers during the inspection process. In advanced customer scenarios we see the data being used to help analyse and anticipate structural failures, Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and component life, the rich, 3D data and the detailed insights allow for a more complete picture of the component and in most cases shortens the component repair process.
The component repair solution is realised by combining the ATOS 5 for Airfoil, GOM Inspect software and the automation of an ATOS ScanBox. GOM’s range of ScanBox’s have been designed to make a manufacturers life easier by automating the scanning process. Instead of an inspector using a scanner manually spending hours trying to fully scan one component, they can load it into a ScanBox and the 3D scanner, mounted to a robotic automated arm, will use its optimised measuring distance to take a full scan in minutes.
Since the process can be so quick, the evolution of the ATOS ScanBox is to combine with a Batch Processing System (BPS) giving the ultimate in metrology autonomy - capable of measuring more than 80 turbine blades without human intervention, sometimes referred to as a “lights out” or “green button” process. Robustness and measuring speed are key features of the system, along with the need for fewer personnel to increase machine utilization. For example, an inspector will load the BPS which will then select each blade in turn and insert it into the measuring space. The ATOS 5 for Airfoil scanner, installed on an automated robotic arm, will then take a complete 3D scan of the blade before the BPS takes the blade out and then methodically selects the next blade for measuring. Traceability of the part is maintained with an RFID chip, which the system uses to track from the start to the end of the inspection process. Eliminating the impact of the user on the measurement significantly increases the process reliability.
GOM systems have long been used to support the aerospace industry. The team is on hand to provide help and support to new and existing customers, particularly in the current situation where this is more important than ever. Where safe to do so, our engineers and technicians are visiting site - not just to help with new installations, but to support clients who have maybe been shut down for a few weeks and need assistance with the re-start process on their systems. We’ve increased the number of webinars we host each month during lockdown completely free of charge to help teach customers the many different uses for our software systems. We’re offering digital demonstrations to potential customers who need a measurement system, but they need to be absolutely sure they’re making the right decision. Customers can even send us component parts to be scanned in our UK showroom and we can send back fully comprehensive reports. Whatever your metrology query, GOM is here to help.
Learn more about GOM’s aerospace solutions: https://www.gom.com/industries/aerospace/aero-engine.html