Metrology enabled airfoil

manufacturing

Ben Taylor Renishaw plc

Metrology-enabled airfoil manufacturing

• Challenges in modern airfoil

manufacturing

• Metrology – the data thread that

connects and enables automated

operations

• Adaptive machining

• Shop-floor gauging

• Rapid, comprehensive verification

• Process characterisation

Challenges in modern airfoil manufacturing

• Fuel efficiency pressure – 20% reduction by 2020

• Precise leading / trailing edge profiles

• Reduced component count resulting in complex geometries

• Manufacturing cost and quality concerns driving process automation

• Data-led design and engineering

Reproduced with the permission of Rolls-Royce plc, copyright © Rolls-Royce plc 2009

• Accurate, comprehensive understanding of airfoil form

• Before, during and after each manufacturing stage

• Rapid, automated data acquisition

• Step change in speed, accuracy and capability

• Shorter process development times

• Data → information → action

Implications for measurement

Metrology-enabled airfoil manufacturing

Data connecting and enabling automated operations

Adaptive

machining

Shop floor

gauging

Verify &

characterize

Adaptive machining

• Adapt machining to fit

the actual input

condition of the part

• Blend machined and

formed surfaces

Applications…

• Friction-welded blisks

• Blade tip refurbishment

• Snubber fins

Adaptive machining

Measurement needs…

• High volume, high density

data

• On-machine

measurement

• Integrated process

• Short cycle time

New technology – on-machine scanning

• 1000 points / sec

• Short cycle time

• Accurate blends

• Part quality assured

Adaptive machining for blisk root blending

New technology – versatile gauging

• Comparative gauge

• Scanning solution captures form

• Robust for the shop-floor

• Re-master to adapt to

temperature change

• Many parts / operations

• Rapid re-programming for

design changes

• Cost-effective

Form measurement by scanning

• Scanning probe measures size, location and form

• System capable of high speed scanning

Versatile airfoil gauging

Nozzle guide vane – conventional dedicated gauging

• Dedicated to a single part and

operation

• Single gauge point

measurement

• Multiple nests per part

• Expensive to reconfigure for

design changes or new parts

• Ambient temperature

compensated by re-

mastering

• Full 3D measurement

• Measures a range of parts

• Simple operator interface

• Single phase power

requirement with no

compressed air supply

Nozzle guide vane – Equator versatile gauging

Complex airfoil measurement tasks

Require…

• Comprehensive verification

• Complex feature geometries

• Edge profiles and surface

blends

• Surface finish

Previously lead to…

• Long inspection cycle times

• Inspection bottlenecks

Look between the lines!

Blades are normally inspected in sections due

to the limitations of historic measurement

techniques

But what if you could

accurately and quickly

measure the whole blade?

Look between the lines!

Now, unlimited

sections or full

surface analysis is

possible.

New technology – Blade Inspection Toolkit

1. Automatic 5-axis

‘sweep scan’

program

generation

2. High speed

point cloud data

collection

3. Section point cloud,

evaluate & report

Automated, high speed point cloud capture for comprehensive blade

verification and characterisation

APEX Blade Modus Modus Reporter

1. Automatic Collision Free Path planning

• Set scan

parameters

• Plan sweeps

• Simulate

• Generate CMM

program (DMIS)

APEX Blade

2. High speed ‘point cloud’ data collection

3a. Define sections from CAD model

3b. Determine sections from ‘point cloud’

3c. Reporting ~ Airfoil and Profile Characteristics

Data for Engineering

Surfit Blade

• Reverse engineered NURBS

surface

• Aerodynamic analysis

• Stress Analysis

• Average blade geometry can be

established from a number of

blades

Metrology-enabled airfoil manufacturing – summary

• Automated adaptive

machining

• Shop floor process control

• Comprehensive

verification &

characterisation

• Engineering data

Thank you

apply innovation