TRIMMING OF CFRP AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS

Abstract

This paper presents hardware and data on the use of AWJ for trimming aircraft carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts such as those used on the Airbus 350 and the Boeing 787. Generally, CFRP parts on an aircraft vary in size from large parts such as wings and fuselage sections to small size parts such as clips, brackets, and door stringers. The machinery that is most suitable for these parts is presented. Gantry systems with AWJ and routing end effectors have been the most commonly used machines for large parts while relatively small robotic arms are emerging for trimming small parts. In any of these systems, special sidefire cutting heads have been developed to access tight spaces such as trimming and beveling stringer flanges. Small catcher cups, mounted on the cutting end effector, have also been developed to catch the waste jet. Data are presented on taper, trailback, and surface finish to identify parameters meeting the required accuracy and surface finish.