When it comes to designing and producing lighter, more fuel-efficient aircraft, every gram counts, so the capacity to mass-produce lightweight, yet strong, high-precision composite components at a low cost is a major goal for the worldwide aerospace industry.
Surface Generation Ltd worked closely with Mitutoyo UK's Measurement Services Department to ensure the regular supply of high-precision inspection data when using the company's proprietary Production to Functional Specification (PtFS) systems to develop a highly efficient and cost-effective method of producing aero engine structural guide vanes made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
Founded in 2002, Surface Generation Ltd is developing its proprietary PtFS process with the aim of commercialising the method. The corporation currently has a vast international customer base after two decades of technological improvements and exceptional levels of growth. PtFS is used by Surface Generation's clients to optimise the use of innovative composite materials and to allow for highly controlled and efficient manufacture. PtFS can be used to process unfilled thermoplastics, advanced metals, and glass, and is not limited to fibre reinforced composites.
Mitutoyo
Mitutoyo CMM with tactile probing
PtFS technology from Surface Generation integrates heating, cooling, and process control systems to achieve maximum performance in both turnkey and retrofitting applications. The company's cutting-edge equipment, paired with bespoke software, provide the first 'digital moulding environment,' where 'active heat management' reduces cycle times and energy consumption dramatically. Furthermore, the use of PtFS results in significant reductions in the pressures required to process difficult materials and parts with complicated shapes.
Surface Generation’s Special Projects Engineer Alasdair Ryder explained the successful development of the aero engine structural guide vanes production methods and the assistance provided by Mitutoyo’s Measurement Services Department. “By precisely controlling temperature, displacement and force application during manufacture PtFS provides improvements in accuracy, speed, manufacturing economies and part performance, even when using the most challenging of materials.
“PtFS, provides reduced cycle time and improvements in energy efficiency. In addition to much faster delivery times and cost reductions, our users gain significant improvements in product quality. PtFS is now used throughout the world across a range of demanding sectors, including the automotive, consumer electronics, medical, oil and gas, and the aerospace industry.
He continued. “Traditionally made from metal, aero engine structural guide vanes are high-precision fixed elements with critical form, finish and structural response requirements. When tasked with using PtFS to deliver enhanced process yield and a reduced cycle time, it was incumbent upon us to demonstrate that parts respected the necessary geometrical tolerances.”
“Although we have a fully equipped inspection department at our Rutland facility, including a Mitutoyo CMM with tactile probing, the demanding levels of manufacturing precision we required meant that we needed to find an expert inspection subcontractor that had access to high-precision CMMs with advanced scanning capabilities. We found the ideal partner in Mitutoyo’s Measurement Services Department.
Multiple material and production variables were involved in each stage of developing the structural guide vanes manufacturing methods and each had the potential to impact upon the components’ accuracy.
“Multiple material and production variables were involved in each stage of developing the structural guide vanes manufacturing methods and each had the potential to impact upon the components’ accuracy. Therefore, following the production run of each new iteration of the components, we supplied a sample batch to Mitutoyo’s Measurement Services Department. After undergoing high-precision scanning routines each part was quickly returned to us with an in-depth inspection report.
“Our use of PtFS and the detailed inspection data supplied by Mitutoyo has now resulted in the development of an optimal, production process that guarantees the extremely efficient manufacture of lightweight, strong and highly precise structural guide vanes with extremely accurate airfoil geometries”
Andrew Fifield, Mitutoyo Measurement Services Manager added. “Mitutoyo’s Measurement Services Department supports a multitude of UK companies across a wide range of industrial sectors. Our customers use our services when their QA inspection demands exceeds in-house capacities or when greater capability and outside help is the most timely and effective way of meeting measurement challenges. In addition to many other metrology services, our Coventry and Halifax based measurement centres offer a full range of third-party measurement, reporting and CMM programming services. Mitutoyo’s highly experienced teams ensure that the most appropriate, fastest and cost-effective options are deployed to meet all customers’ needs.
Mitutoyo CRYSTA-Apex S CNC CMM
“The detailed inspection routines carried-out on Surface Generation’s structural guide vanes were made with the use of a high-accuracy Mitutoyo CRYSTA-Apex S CNC CMM, that guarantees a maximum permissible length measurement error of E0,MPE=(1.7+3L/1000) μm. To further ensure maximum scanning precision the advanced CMM was fitted with a Renishaw SP25M scanning probe, the world's most compact and versatile scanning probe system. As the components featured highly accurate airfoil profiles it helped that we specialise in the measurement and programming of airfoil components such as turbine blades, compressor blades, Nozzle Guide Vanes and parts with similar precision profiles to that of the structural guide vanes.”