Low Coherence Interferometric Scanning System

To address the Air Force need for a new technique to control the outer mold line (OML) size and shape of aircraft composite components for the automation of aircraft assembly, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new fast and precise Low Coherence Interferometric Scanning System (LCISS) utilizing low coherence interferometry. The innovation in the LCISS design will enable OML measurements with better than 0.001” accuracy and the operation speed required for a production line. The fully developed LCISS will use the measured OML size for automatic determination of the best mutual parts locations to achieve production specifications. It will calculate the best locations for holes needed for the components assembly and shim dimensions, and project the required hole locations and shim thicknesses to the corresponding areas on the aircraft components. Its user-friendly software will be compatible with other design, manufacturing, and quality control software components used in aircraft manufacturing. In Phase I, POC will show feasibility of the LCISS technology by demonstrating a prototype operation and estimating its accuracy and speed of measurements. In Phase II, POC plans to develop a full scale prototype and demonstrate its operation in a production environment, achieving MRL-7. BENEFIT: Besides the fabrication of military aircraft, the same process automation LCISS system will find application in the assembly of commercial aircraft, shipbuilding, the automotive industry, and other industries, where the automation of the assembly process allows reducing component manufacturing tolerances. This system will lower the manufacturing cost by simplifying the assembly process and decreasing labor costs. It also will improve product quality by providing a better fit of the product parts to the assembly.