Automated In-Line Digital Camouflage Pattern Application for Pultruded Shelter Panels

Composite military shelters are expected to represent an increasingly large percentage of fielded system in future years. In addition to the usual weight savings, a particular appeal of composite material shelters is their potential to greatly reduce cost of maintenance associated with corrosion of current metal shelters. Since color can conceivably be embedded in walls of composite shelters, much of the cost and waste of painting and stripping conventional surface coatings could be eliminated. KaZaK Composites, working with Aellora Digital, proposes to develop an efficient automated digital camouflage pattern application system for in-line coating of pultruded composite shelter panels and components as they move through the processing line. Pultrusion is a likely method for making composite panels used in future shelters because of the resulting low cost of panels made by this method. KaZaK Composites and our team members will perform necessary software and hardware development needed to automate pattern application in-line with a pultrusion machine producing composite panels. In Phase I auto-camouflaged application hardware will be assembled into a demonstration system, then panels will be fabricated while the camouflage pattern is dynamically varied. Durability of the resulting colored surface will be evaluated and compared to baseline conventionally painted panels.