Multi-material Sandwich Panel

This part is a process mock-up demonstrator based on an actual multi-material sandwich component from a customer. It showcases a sweet spot application for Fiber Patch Placement and featuring different lay-up capability features of this technology:

• Processing of carbon (CF), glass fiber (GF) and adhesive patches in one machine setup
• Direct lay-up on the honeycomb core
• Designed and reproducible overlap of electrically isolating glass layers

Process: How was this part produced?

This simplified mock-up demonstrator was produced in our SAMBA Pro lab system, to determine process parameters and demonstrate capabilities of FPP technology using the relevant customer materials. The FPP process steps showcased in this mock-up include the following lay-ups:

• Adhesive patches directly on honeycomb
• GF patches
• CF patches

Results: What is special about it?

This demonstrator shows the unique lay-up capabilities for FPP in the field of multi-material components, using a variety of aerospace qualified materials, as well as the process ability to cope with high geometric complexity in the corner region of honeycomb cores. In particular, the capability to handle and place tacky auxiliary materials like adhesives and glass fiber plies with precise, defined overlaps opens new options for manufacturers to fully automate the production of composite sandwich structures and work in synergy with their existing automated processes.

Relevance: Which components are featuring similar challenges?

All components featuring similar requirements such as multi-material lay-up and / or complex surfaces (honeycomb cores, tight radii, sharp convex or concave areas) are sweet spots for Fiber Patch Placement technology. Examples are radomes, antenna and empennage fairings, nacelles, doors and other multi-material sandwich structures.