AUTOMATED COMPOSITE MATERIAL INSPECTION SYSTEM

OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES, ADVANCED COMPOSITE MATERIALS HAVE PROGRESSED FROM THE LABORATORY TO A PRODUCTION REALITY. COMPOSITE APPLICATIONS HAVE RANGED FROM LIMITED AIRCRAFT PARTS TO MUNITION DELIVERY LAUNCH TUBES. THOUGH COMPOSITE MATERIAL CCMPONENTS HAVE A SUCCESSFUL TRACK RECORD IN THE FIELD, PRODUCTION QUANTITY REMAINS LOW. AUTOMATION FOR THE MANUFACTURING AND INSPECTION OF THESE COMPONENTS IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE. QUALITY LEVEL FOR COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPONENTS IS A GROWING CONCERN AMONG THE DEFENSE AND COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY. COMPOSITE MATERIALS ARE INSPECTED IN TWO STAGES, EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY. EXTERNAL INSPECTION IS NORMALLY PERFORMED MANUALLY AND THE INTERNAL INSPECTION IS PERFORMED WITH THE AID OF ULTRASONIC TECHNIQUES. BOTH OF THESE METHODS ARE SLOW AND CUMBERSOME. WITH GROWING POPULARITY OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPONENTS, A MORE EFFICIENT AND FASTER INSPECTION STATION IS NEEDED TO PERFORM BOTH OF THE INSPECTION TASKS IN A SINGLE PASS. AS PROPOSED BY SIMPEX, THIS AUTOMIATED COMPOSITE MATERIAL INSPECTION SYSTEM (ACMIS ) USES THE LATEST HIGH SPEED MACHINE VISION AND REAL TIME X-RAY TECHNOLOGIES FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL INSPECTION OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPONENTS IN A SINGLE PASS AT A SPEED OF 120 MILLISECONDS PER FIELD OF VIEW. THIS SYSTEM WILL HAVE THE INTELLIGENCE TO LOCATE AND IDENTIFY THE FLAWS WITHIN THAT TIME FRAME. AS AN OPTION, AN IDENTIFICATION SYMBOL WILL BE MARKED ON THE COMPOSITE SURFACE INDICATING THE LOCATION AND TYPE OF THE FLAW BY AN INK JET MARKER AUTOMATICALLY. SIMPEX WILL INTEGRATE AND DEMONSTRATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS INSPECTION SYSTEM, USING ACTUAL SAMPLES, TO THE GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES AND GUESTS.