Periodic Reporting for period 3 - RECYCOMP (Development of equipment for composite recycling process of uncured material)
Período documentado: 2023-03-01 hasta 2023-11-30
The aeronautical sector through Clean Sky 2 Work Programme aims at contributing to one of the key Societal Challenge ‘smart, green and integrated transport’ defined in Horizon 2020, enabling cutting edge solutions to decrease the environmental impact of the sector and to achieve the ACARE goals, facilitating the first steps to the Flightpath 2050 targets (75% of CO2, 90% of NOx, 65% noise reduction); also improving the mobility within the EU.
Clean Sky 2 affords the development of different Integrated Technology Demonstrators to advance towards the mentioned objectives. The AIRFRAME ITD is devoted to the develop and validate technologies that affect the global vehicle level on energy and environmental efficiency, industrial leadership and enhanced mobility; through a strong progress on the airframe to fulfil market requirements and contribution to growth. It focuses on the development of 9 major technology streams to advance with the main objectives of the Clean Sky 2 programme, including that related to Advanced Fuselage. The program is structured in 3 activity lines, being RECYCOMP project within the activity Line 2, devoted to the demonstration of airframe technologies focused toward High Versatility and Cost Efficiency (HVE) and to technology demonstrations on reference aircraft operating at lower speed and lower altitude flight conditions, with shorter range, and turbo-propeller power plant. In this sense, the Advanced Fuselage within the WP B-4.3 “More Affordable composite fuselage” aims at introducing innovation in fuselages thought the cost effectiveness (manufacturing & assembly) and environmental footprint reduction, especially for the manufacturing of wing and its subcomponents.
The use of composite materials provides suitable components according to weight and design flexibility but faces some challenges in the area of manufacturing and assembly with the need of special processes, hand operations and large lead time. The automation of the manufacturing of composite material, with processes like Automated Tape Laying (ATL) and Automated Fibre Placement (AFP), allows the improvement of the manufacturing lead time and product quality; but, on the other hand, the processes produce significant quantities of unused scrap material after cutting the Carbon Fibre (CF) pre-impregnated materials during lamination.
The RECYCOMP project is focused on the reutilization of uncured scrap material, aiming at preparing it for a subsequent reuse for the manufacturing of functional components. The main activity focuses on the development of an equipment able to recover the uncured scraps, avoiding the degradation (associated to undesired curing) and preparing the material in a suitable form for the generation of new pre-impregnated material useful for the lamination process of new components.
The RECYCOMP equipment has involved the use of a combination of technologies to achieve the main objective, and it includes 3 main modules: to identify the scraps area and fibre orientation; to cut the scrap in rectangular chips; and to pick and place the chips in a new backing material for the subsequent use.
Keywords: CFRP, Recycling, PrePreg, Machine vision, robot, pick-place, cutting
Clean Sky 2 affords the development of different Integrated Technology Demonstrators to advance towards the mentioned objectives. The AIRFRAME ITD is devoted to the develop and validate technologies that affect the global vehicle level on energy and environmental efficiency, industrial leadership and enhanced mobility; through a strong progress on the airframe to fulfil market requirements and contribution to growth. It focuses on the development of 9 major technology streams to advance with the main objectives of the Clean Sky 2 programme, including that related to Advanced Fuselage. The program is structured in 3 activity lines, being RECYCOMP project within the activity Line 2, devoted to the demonstration of airframe technologies focused toward High Versatility and Cost Efficiency (HVE) and to technology demonstrations on reference aircraft operating at lower speed and lower altitude flight conditions, with shorter range, and turbo-propeller power plant. In this sense, the Advanced Fuselage within the WP B-4.3 “More Affordable composite fuselage” aims at introducing innovation in fuselages thought the cost effectiveness (manufacturing & assembly) and environmental footprint reduction, especially for the manufacturing of wing and its subcomponents.
The use of composite materials provides suitable components according to weight and design flexibility but faces some challenges in the area of manufacturing and assembly with the need of special processes, hand operations and large lead time. The automation of the manufacturing of composite material, with processes like Automated Tape Laying (ATL) and Automated Fibre Placement (AFP), allows the improvement of the manufacturing lead time and product quality; but, on the other hand, the processes produce significant quantities of unused scrap material after cutting the Carbon Fibre (CF) pre-impregnated materials during lamination.
The RECYCOMP project is focused on the reutilization of uncured scrap material, aiming at preparing it for a subsequent reuse for the manufacturing of functional components. The main activity focuses on the development of an equipment able to recover the uncured scraps, avoiding the degradation (associated to undesired curing) and preparing the material in a suitable form for the generation of new pre-impregnated material useful for the lamination process of new components.
The RECYCOMP equipment has involved the use of a combination of technologies to achieve the main objective, and it includes 3 main modules: to identify the scraps area and fibre orientation; to cut the scrap in rectangular chips; and to pick and place the chips in a new backing material for the subsequent use.
Keywords: CFRP, Recycling, PrePreg, Machine vision, robot, pick-place, cutting
The activity performed has been related to the development of an equipment for recycling uncured prepreg scraps. The preliminary design allowed the definition of the different modules and subsystems required.
In this sense, the identification module activities have dealt with the definition of the scenario, the selection of the cameras and the evaluation of different illumination systems. Finally, a solution based on two cameras has been selected. A first full field camera identifies the scrap pieces’ shape and position; and then a second macro camera mounted in an XY movement stage move to each scrap to analyse the fibre orientation with a higher zoom.
The work related to the cutting module has finished with the selection of the cutting head, including also a tray and vaccum system configuration for the fixing of the leftovers during the process.
The distribution module includes the hardware for the pick and place process with the robots, including a dedicated gripper for handling the chips.
The final detailed design of the machine including the different modules has been done including all the manufacturing drawings and the bill of materials, proceeding to the manufacturing and assembly of the machine, achieving a functional prototype of the machine.
The software modules for controlling the machine have been developed and they have been implemented in the prototype of the machine to allow the use of the whole system.
The activities of the project has not been fully completed, as the machine has not been sent to the Topic Manager facilities due to some delays during the project, As a consequence, the task T2.4 and T2.5 within the WP2, remained partially undone. Furthermore, the deliverables D2.3 “Functionality and feasibility tests of recycling equipment” and D2.4 “Material basic structural characterization activities and final assessment” were not delivered and the milestones M3 “Installation of RECYCOMP machine on site at Topic Manager facility” and M4 “Structural recycled material characterization” were not achieved.
The expected results have been achieved: "1-RECYCOMP solution"; "2-Machine vision module"; "3-Distribution module"; and "4-Specific Gripper for soft material handling". While the result "5-Recycled CFRP material in sheet format" has not been achieved.
This situation leaded to following dissemination actions:
• Congress: XV Congreso Nacional de Materiales Compuestos (MATCOMP). Gijón (Spain) 13-15-june-2023. “Automated recycling of unidirectional preimpregnated carbon fibre scraps”
• Workshop Recycling in Aviation. Paterna (Spain) 17-November-2023. “Automated recycling of unidirectional preimpregnated carbon fibre scraps”
• Brief technical paper. Interempresas. Aeronáutica 16. October-2023.“Soluciones de reciclaje automático para dar nuevos usos a residuos aeronáuticos”
The exploitation activities have included the presentation of the project results to companies dealing with the manufacturing of components made of composite materials. This has been discussed with 2 companies (AIRBUS and AERNNOVA), showing interest for the potential next generation of the RECYCOMP machine and the possibility to reuse the prepreg scraps from their manufacturing processes.
In this sense, the identification module activities have dealt with the definition of the scenario, the selection of the cameras and the evaluation of different illumination systems. Finally, a solution based on two cameras has been selected. A first full field camera identifies the scrap pieces’ shape and position; and then a second macro camera mounted in an XY movement stage move to each scrap to analyse the fibre orientation with a higher zoom.
The work related to the cutting module has finished with the selection of the cutting head, including also a tray and vaccum system configuration for the fixing of the leftovers during the process.
The distribution module includes the hardware for the pick and place process with the robots, including a dedicated gripper for handling the chips.
The final detailed design of the machine including the different modules has been done including all the manufacturing drawings and the bill of materials, proceeding to the manufacturing and assembly of the machine, achieving a functional prototype of the machine.
The software modules for controlling the machine have been developed and they have been implemented in the prototype of the machine to allow the use of the whole system.
The activities of the project has not been fully completed, as the machine has not been sent to the Topic Manager facilities due to some delays during the project, As a consequence, the task T2.4 and T2.5 within the WP2, remained partially undone. Furthermore, the deliverables D2.3 “Functionality and feasibility tests of recycling equipment” and D2.4 “Material basic structural characterization activities and final assessment” were not delivered and the milestones M3 “Installation of RECYCOMP machine on site at Topic Manager facility” and M4 “Structural recycled material characterization” were not achieved.
The expected results have been achieved: "1-RECYCOMP solution"; "2-Machine vision module"; "3-Distribution module"; and "4-Specific Gripper for soft material handling". While the result "5-Recycled CFRP material in sheet format" has not been achieved.
This situation leaded to following dissemination actions:
• Congress: XV Congreso Nacional de Materiales Compuestos (MATCOMP). Gijón (Spain) 13-15-june-2023. “Automated recycling of unidirectional preimpregnated carbon fibre scraps”
• Workshop Recycling in Aviation. Paterna (Spain) 17-November-2023. “Automated recycling of unidirectional preimpregnated carbon fibre scraps”
• Brief technical paper. Interempresas. Aeronáutica 16. October-2023.“Soluciones de reciclaje automático para dar nuevos usos a residuos aeronáuticos”
The exploitation activities have included the presentation of the project results to companies dealing with the manufacturing of components made of composite materials. This has been discussed with 2 companies (AIRBUS and AERNNOVA), showing interest for the potential next generation of the RECYCOMP machine and the possibility to reuse the prepreg scraps from their manufacturing processes.
The main advances beyond the state of the art are related to the following aspects:
• Definition of the configuration of the equipment to perform the recycling of uncured prepreg scraps.
• Development of the identification module with fibre orientation measurement.
• Development of a pick and place gripper to work with uncured prepreg chips.
• Definition of an ordered pattern for the chips of recycled prepreg.
• Process for recycling of scrap of composite uncured prepreg.
• Definition of the configuration of the equipment to perform the recycling of uncured prepreg scraps.
• Development of the identification module with fibre orientation measurement.
• Development of a pick and place gripper to work with uncured prepreg chips.
• Definition of an ordered pattern for the chips of recycled prepreg.
• Process for recycling of scrap of composite uncured prepreg.