Author(s): Soares, BAR ; Henriques, E ; Ribeiro, I ; Freitas, M
Date: 2018
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10884/1328
Origin: Repositório Científico Atlântica
Subject(s): operational research,; automation; process-based cost modelling (PBCM); process modelling,; composites
Composite material usage in aircraft has been rising since the 1990s, with significant increases in manufacturing productivity and repeatability due to automation in the production of aeronautic parts made of composite materials, becoming a strong driver for widespread adoption of composites in this industry. Automated Tape Layup (ATL) and Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) are two of the most important automated manufacturing technologies within aeronautics composites, although their cost implications and economic comparison have not been widely studied. This paper presents an economic evaluation of ATL and AFP technologies. Using process-based cost models, the manufacturing process of a horizontal stabiliser is modelled, determining for each technology the associated consumption and use of resources and their implications towards the part final cost. Results show that ATL is less expensive than AFP, due to lower material costs, although with less material efficiency and slower cycle time.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding by Science and Technology Foundation, FCT, Portugal, under grants MITP-TB/PFM/0005/2013 and CMUP-ERI/TPE/011/2013
