JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #90 - June/July 2014 - 56

laser projection

Fig. 4: In addition to reducing the error quota, the
LAP projectors also increase the positioning accuracy of the CFRP parts' inserts and cores

Fig. 2: For the aerospace sector, LA Composite produces parts for primary structures such as fuselages, wings
and tails using prepreg technology

Fig.3: Before the installation of Composite Pro, LA
composite had to work with large tolerances, and
consequently with larger inserts whose position
was not always as exact as the engineers had
planned

the aerospace industry is the following: LA Composite creates a 3D
model with the desired contours
using the SolidWorks design software.
Projection patterns are exported from
SolidWorks to the LAP Composite
PRO software, which transmits the
data directly to the projectors. The

user can see the exact position and
form of the CFRP layers, embedded parts and sandwich cores during
production. The laborious and very
time-consuming manual measurement
with clumsy templates has been completely eliminated from the production process thanks to the projectors.
This was ultimately the goal: to save
time during production and hence
significant costs. The integration
of Composite Pro into the existing
production processes was extremely
simple. The team could start work immediately after the installation of the
projectors.

Quality and efficiency
In addition to reducing the error
quota, the engineers at LA Composite
confirm that the LAP projectors also
increase accuracy in the position-

More information
Laser projection systems generate points, lines, crosses or randomly shaped contours, e.g.
shapes true-to-scale from CAD data. The clearly visible red, green or yellow laser lines
are used to position or align products or components. An important area of application is
the manufacturing of high-tech carbon or glass fibre components for the aerospace and
automotive industries, and for the production of rotor blades for wind energy plants. Laser
projection systems are now also used as standard in other branches of industry, such as
wood processing, textile, and tyre manufacturing, and in the production of prefabricated
concrete components.

56 jec composites magazine / No90 June - July 2014

ing of the inserts and cores of the
CFRP parts. Composite Pro not only
improved the efficiency of the production, but also led to a noticeable
increase in the quality of the products.
A particular problem is the exact
positioning of objects with very complex part geometries. Before installing Composite Pro, LA Composite
had to work with large tolerances,
and consequently with larger inserts
whose position was not always as
exact as the engineers had planned.
The consequence was far more scrap,
poorer product quality and less
complex parts. But thanks to the laser
projectors, that is now all in the past.
With Composite Pro, they were finally
able to use smaller inserts that now
make modern, highly complex forms
possible.

Outlook
The team of developers is already
thinking about using laser projectors
in the cutting step of CFRP parts.
Many of the components produced
at LA Composite have very complex
shapes. The developers know from
the experience gained when processing the prepregs that the LAP laser
projectors can project very complex
geometries. They now want to use this
feature also in the manual final trimming of the parts and have already
discussed using Composite Pro at that
stage as well. n
More information:
www.lap-laser.com

http://www.lap-laser.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #90 - June/July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #90 - June/July 2014