A team of engineers at the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) have developed a one-of-a-kind laser system that proved successful in its initial intended use in composites processing, and the Institute has opened a new laboratory to exploit the technology into a variety of additional applications in advanced manufacturing.
Representatives from the Air Force and aerospace industry recently joined UDRI in a dedication of the Rapid Applications of Advanced Manufacturing (RAAM) Laboratory, located in the Dayton Composite Center in Kettering, Ohio. The centerpiece technology is RoboCLASP, a robotic, ultrafast laser that is already proving to be a game-changer in the preparation of composites for bonded assembly, said Michael Pratt, advanced manufacturing engineer and RAAM team lead.
The "CLASP" in RoboCLASP stands for Composite Laser Ablation for Surface Preparation, a significantly advanced alternative to the traditional method of hand sanding polymer matrix composite materials to prepare them for bonding. Developed under Air Force funding with support from commercial aerospace partners, the system uses a "femtosecond" laser, which generates ultrashort, high-energy pulses of light to remove resin from composites without damage to the material.
Pratt said this is a world-class technology at UDRI, noting the institute was the first organization in the world to deploy and integrate a femtosecond laser into a portable and handheld system, and is now the only organization in the U.S. actively developing a robotically integrated system for this application.
Hand sanding composites to prepare them for bonding is time and labor intensive and requires the operator to wear a hazmat suit due to hazardous plastic media waste, Pratt said, adding that some composite parts are too delicate to be hand sanded due to the risk of damage. Laser resin removal, known as athermal ablation, is safer, cleaner, faster and more affordable, minimizing waste generation while precisely removing only the resin with zero risk of damage to the composite material.
Unlike continuous-wave lasers that ultimately burn a material, ultrashort pulse lasers emit powerful but very short bursts of light, measured in femtoseconds, leaving no time for heat to build up before the material is broken down and removed by vacuum filtration.
UDRI's first portable femtosecond laser system was developed in 2021 by the Laser Manufacturing Technology Development (LMTD) team led by Jared Speltz and later licensed to Albers Aerospace; the newest iteration is robotic. Pratt said automating the system allows it to be programmed to perform highly complex coating removal tasks, with the robot scanning the material to create a 3D roadmap and automatically adjusting the laser to accommodate varying geometry.
Adam Hicks, Advanced Laser Manufacturing Lead for the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials & Manufacturing Directorate, said he anticipates the CLASP technology will transition to other manufacturing applications with potential for significant cost savings to the Air Force, estimating the technology could save the Department of Defense tens of millions of dollars in coming years while providing a cleaner, faster, higher quality manufacturing process.
Pratt said additional applications could include coatings and paint removal, 3D texturing for additive manufacturing, and machining ceramic parts, with the RAAM and LMTD teams pursuing funding to expand the lab's capabilities in those and other areas.
Source - udayton.edu
