IIAMS

Innovative Infusion Airframe Manufacturing System

By

MTorres

At the Forefront of technology

The IIAMS project is related to the advanced low-weight and high-performance structures domain. More specifically, the mission of this innovative system is to enable the manufacturing of flyable components belonging to a wing box carbon fiber composite structure, which shall be manufactured by infusion.

All the structural elements shall be manufactured by AFP lay-up in a compatible way with the designed system, minimizing the tooling and taking advantage of flexibility and synergies of the main operations for the intended manufacturing process.

Cajón Clean Sky

IIAMS project will represent the first product case of flyable and potentially certifiable carbon fiber (CF) wing box made using LRI and OoA composites in Europe. Therefore, there are potential product patents that will ensure product commercialization. These technologies will involve a significant production cost reduction for the carbon fiber industry over more conventional approaches (like pre-preg), and MTorres will be in charge of make it reality.

This project could define the future aerospace manufacturing standard, and the path to follow on the future new commercial programs.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The main high-level requirements of this system are:

  • Adapted to AFP lay-up for dry fiber
  • High temperature hot forming and infusion
  • Optimization of system size and logistics, by means of lightweight moulds and tooling (ground tooling displacements preferred to crane-based ones)
  • Energy saving, minimizing large industrial means such as autoclaves and big ovens, applying low cost heating systems including sensor to enable monitoring, controlling and recording the main key process parameters
  • Fast training, in an innovative way, minimizing the trial and error loop by using digital tools as well as a proper technology of dummies
  • Cost efficient materials approach, studying minimum hand operations and best practices to minimize scrap and ancillary materials wasting, reusing materials to enable recurrent costs savings
  • Paperless technology approach for all the documentation generated

Additionally, the system shall be portable, so that the Topic Manager can manufacture at any of its production sites the parts and components for flying tests.

The final purpose of the project is to demonstrate that an alternative technology (to prepreg + autoclave) with lower costs, reduces lead times, environmental footprint, and can achieve similar design tolerances and quality levels.

The project faces the challenges of real manufacturing of large primary structures by Liquid Resin Infusion (LRI) on dry carbon fibers to avoid prepregs, and also the use Out of Autoclave technology (OoA).

Objective

To demonstrate an alternative technology that offers lower costs, reduces lead times & environmental footprint, able to achieve similar design tolerances and quality levels.

This project will be a great milestone for MTorres, because it will push forward its last efforts in this line of work (MS-21 and Torreswing Fuselage), and accomplishing this objective will contribute to enter new segments and participate in future R&D projects that involve new technologies, to create a new market.

PROJECT WORK PACKAGES

The work is divided in nine Work Packages, following the scheme below:

Work Packages

 

The implementation of those works shall be accomplished within an 18 months period, following the time-line presented below:

 

CONSORTIUM

Airbus
MTorres