This operation of wear measurement is all the more complex because the surfaces are not uniform, and until now it was done manually using traditional instruments such as calipers. To address this problem of repair efficiency, CRMA came up with the idea of Robocot: an automatic measuring tool equipped with two telemetric lasers placed on an air-cooled carbon composite holder. Designed with a human-machine collaboration approach, this "cobot*" moves easily along six axes. to avoid any risk of inaccuracy due to temperature variations in the workshop, the robot automatically recalibrates itself every hour. The parts inspection process therefore begins with the use of Robocot which immediately spots the smallest defects on the entire surface being analysed.
BlueLink
A Robot Ensuring the Reparability of TCF Parts
A Robot Ensuring the Reparability of TCF Parts
Fully developed by CRMA, the 100% subsidiary of AFI KLM E&M dedicated to the engine part repairs activities, Robocot significantly improves the repair process of the TCF module panels through ultra-precise measurement of part wear. Accurate wear measurement is the first essential step in the repair process of TCF parts.
“If a part is too damaged and no longer has the minimum regulatory thickness, we are no longer allowed to repair it and it must be scrapped. When in doubt, our technicians would often start the repair, only to find out later that the part was actually beyond repair.”
Erwan Guérin
Innovation manager at CRMA
“Thanks to this laser eye, we are immediately 100% sure that the part is repairable, which makes our Turn-Around-Times (TATs) much more reliable”
Erwan Guérin
Innovation manager at CRMA
The final machine was fully designed, assembled and programmed in the MRO Lab CRMA, from a robot specially chosen to fit the requirements of the inspection process. In total, it took only two years between the "proof of concept" (POC) and the industrialization of this exclusive innovation. Robocot is now in service in CRMA's workshops. It proves its efficiency and allows CRMA to deliver the best to its customers!
*Cobot: New-generation industrial robots
The particularity - and added value - of cobots is that they can work directly and interactively with humans. While industrial robots are extremely efficient in productivity terms, they completely lack sensitivity and must accordingly be operated in secure, closed, areas as they could otherwise present a risk for humans during operation. Cobots, for their part, can be configured for speed and workload and are sensitive to their environment: whenever they encounter an obstacle they go into sleep mode. They can thus be deployed for collaborative applications at the same time and in the same space as humans, with no danger to them.
