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Digitally Adjustable Tooling for manufacturing of Aircraft panels using multi-point FORMing methodology

Objetivo

The DATAFORM focuses on researching and developing digitally adjustable multi-point tooling for manufacturing of aircraft panels. The main advantageous features of DATAFORM are rapid, universal, and cost-effective with high flexibility compared with present hard fabrication tooling. It is the aim of DATAFORM to empower the tooling technology with a clear focus on industrial use for aeronautics, and to drive the rapid development of flexible tooling in manufacturing leading to new processes and immediate industrial exploitation. There are no such dieless forming tooling and jigless positioning tooling available on market. DATAFORM will play a key role in realising the full potential of flexible tooling by combining robotic control technology.

The industrial and scientific breakthrough objectives of the project are:
(1) Fundamental exploration of digitally adjustable multi-point tooling. This will lead to realise rapid dieless forming of skin panels and accurate jigless fabrication of panel structures in aviation.
(2) Solution of the key technological problems of adjustable multi-point tooling. This will lead to develop an adjustable tooling composing punch matrices to replace the solid dies or hard tooling.
(3) Development of the integrated CAD/CAE/CAT software and robotic close-loop control devices for the modular system. This will lead to an innovative analysis and optimisation process, the automatic control of punches and the quick adaptation to component design or engineering changes.
(4) Development and implementation of digitally adjustable multi-point tooling in manufacturing of aircraft products.

This will lead to reduce tooling costs by 60%, cut set-up time by up to 50% and decreasing tooling lead time, eliminate the need for tooling storage, and also increase tooling utilization significantly. The DATAFORM Coordinator MEC has successfully coordinated 12 European projects and is the Coordinator of two FP6 Networks of Excellence and two STREPs.

Convocatoria de propuestas

FP6-2005-AERO-1
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Coordinador

CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Aportación de la UE
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Dirección
30-36 Newport Road
CARDIFF
Reino Unido

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Participantes (5)