Compositech manufactures carbon fiber parts for the aviation industry and motor sports. Using an Ace Skyline measuring arm, the company can inspect parts delivered and make sure they are of impeccable quality.
Before opting for an Ace Skyline arm, Compositech had the chance to try out a 3D photogrammetry inspection system. But this option, deemed too slow because of the tedious job of placing lots of pellets on the parts before scanning, was quickly rejected. The Ace arm, by contrast, is always ready to scan at a moment’s notice – no pre-heating or positioning necessary. The difference in productivity is even more evident on large parts.
The company chose an Ace 3-meter arm with a Skyline Wide scanner for the following applications:
- Checking for distortions caused by residual curing stresses. All of the part’s surfaces are scanned and compared with the CAD file using colour mapping in Polyworks.
- Geometric inspection of the positions of drilled holes, centre-to-centre distances, etc.
- Inspection of assemblies of different carbon parts, often glued together. There may also be metal inserts.
All individual parts are systematically inspected. For series, the first part is inspected, then one part in every 100 thereafter. A key step in quality assurance, the inspections still need to be carried out as quickly as possible.
Fabio Panarelli, Quality Inspector:
“The speed and ease of use of the Ace Skyline arm have allowed us to significantly increase our productivity across the inspection phases.”
With a Skyline Wide scanner, the surfaces can be scanned very quickly. The scanner’s frequency allows fast, fluid hand movements while its very wide 200 mm laser line minimises the number of passes over the part. These features save significant amounts of time when inspecting large parts, e.g. car doors and bonnets. Plus, the 3D Skyline scanner easily handles black carbon surfaces.
About Compositech:
Compositech is an ISO 9001 certified company present on the market since 2004. It deals with the production of parts in composite materials, typically carbon fiber prepreg in autoclave, mainly for the automotive and motorsport sectors, but not only.
In order to respond with short timescales, to guarantee the confidentiality and security of the data of its customers, to guarantee the highest standards of quality and control of the processes that can influence it, all the workings take place within its own structure.
From the design of the molds to the production of the same through the large portal cutter up to the final quality checks by laser scanner and not only, Compositech is a serious and reliable partner for parts in complex and structural composite materials.
