Wirelessly Accessible Thermocouple Hubs (WATCH) for the Curing of Large Defense Manufacturing Components

A&B Foundry, in conjunction with the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), proposes an innovative Wirelessly Accessible Thermocouple Hub (WATCH) to revolutionize the fabrication process for advanced composite material used for large scale aerospace components. The current processes, which involve the use of materials that are pre-saturated with a fully curable and mixed resin system during production, are employed by major defense contractors. Despite their sophistication, these methods encounter difficulties in ensuring even out-of-autoclave (OOA) curing temperatures and consistent quality, particularly when it comes to creating large-scale aerospace components. The existing OOA curing process requires precise heat and pressure controls to achieve the desired high-performance characteristics and optimal resin-to-fiber ratios. The WATCH targets these critical aspects by introducing wireless control of thermocouple hubs, significantly reducing the dependency on extensive thermocouple wiring and improving cure monitoring, thus minimizing process variation and enhancing the structural integrity of the composites.