Full-scale Innovative integrated Tooling for Composite material Wingbox
The Clean Sky 2 project FITCoW (GA – 831985) aims at developing an integrated carbon-made tooling system that shall enable co-curing of four different structural components into a single carbon fibre part. This innovative manufacturing approach directly addresses the challenges of AIRFRAME ITD through product performance improvements. Clean Sky 2 objectives are also met through the overall improvement of the eco-friendliness throughout the manufacturing chain.
- 50% manufacturing cost reduction of the produced parts
- 30% tooling cost reduction when compared to conventional autoclave metallic tooling
- 20% manufacturing time reduction in comparison with currently deployed autoclave and OoA manufacturing techniques
- 40% CTE mismatch reduction in comparison with Invar metallic tooling
- 20% decrease in tool heating and cooling time
- 40% inspection time reduction due to advanced shape control capabilities
FITCoW is an ambitious project in terms of the integration of innovative technologies of manufacturing hitherto not spread in the manufacturing of aircraft primary structural composite components. The main innovations introduced affect the tooling design through optimizations that affect the overall manufacturing process of the components, having as a base an LRI manufacturing.
- three spars
- outboard skin
- one-shot manufacturing
The ambition of the project is to develop a tooling system that reduces by 50% the manufacturing cost of the produced parts with a saving of 30% of the cost of a conventional autoclave metallic tool while reducing the manufacturing time by 20% and decreasing CTE mismatch by 40% in comparison to Invar metallic tooling.
These ambitions are justified through the implementation of the technologies and the estimation in the benefits that each of the innovations brings to the tooling and integrated manufacturing process.