The autoclave of the future

The capacity for improvement offered by technological advances always leads us to try to go a little further each time, to seek the next level with each improvement and challenge the horizon of perfection that we work to achieve.

Today, this challenge of technology involves achieving results that fit within the framework of sustainability. Also in the high-tech manufacturing process automation industry in which Olmar operates, focused on the treatment of carbon fiber through its line of autoclaves for composites.

With the aim of continuing to offer solutions to the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future, Olmar is part of the ROBOCOMP project. This initiative investigates automation and robotics technologies with which to accelerate and optimize the manufacturing processes of components made of composite materials (composites).

Robocomp, aeronautical intelligence at the service of sustainability

The ROBOCOMP project is subsidized by the CDTI and its goal is to reduce emissions in the manufacture of composite materials through the automation and robotization of processes that are currently still manual.

This initiative will try to combine advances in smart and advanced manufacturing with the digitization of the aeronautical sector from a sustainable perspective that helps maintain and improve the environment.

E2E tests, intelligent automation

To ensure the completion of the Robocomp project, during its execution the E2E (End to End) automation concept will be put into practice in a completely sensorized and interconnected way. This automation will focus above all on these three essential components: the multi-spar stabilizer, the lower wing skin and section 6 of the rear fuselage.

The implementation of this new method aims to multiply by ten the rate of aircraft manufacturing per month. There is currently a wide difference between the rate of production of aircraft with the current system (with a manufacturing rate of 10 aircraft per month) versus a future fully automated manufacturing that will be able to sustain a manufacturing rate of 100 aircraft per month.

Thanks to E2E automation we will be able to minimize that difference in the production rate that we can currently carry out with current technologies and manufacturing processes.

To achieve this, we must first achieve the following goals:

• Automate the manufacturing processes of the main components manufactured in Spain to increase their speeds.
• Reduce the unit cost of production and reduce manufacturing hours. Thanks to the automation of the manual tasks addressed in the ROBOCOMP project, we will be able to optimize the industrial line and thus reduce both time and prices.
• Move towards sustainability with carbon fiber manufacturing.
• Increase automation technologies throughout the manufacturing value chain of the Spanish industrial ecosystem.
• Interconnect manufacturing means to provide real-time data on manufacturing processes.

ROBOTNIK AND OLMAR together in this project

One of the companies involved in this project is Robotnik, a leading company in robotics and mobile manipulation, researching and working on the development of general-purpose robots and mobile manipulators that are suitable for autonomous manufacturing processes and operations on large parts.

Robotnik specializes in research and development (R&D) of: extended range and charging mobile manipulator mechatronics, standardized tool systems at connection and data level, and standby mode battery power solutions. no stop.

Robotnik also designs solutions for robot positioning and element repositioning, enabling operations on large parts without the need for expensive high-precision absolute location systems. The company also researches cloud/edge technologies for network computing offload, data sharing, and security support for industrial use. It also analyzes the possibilities of technology to allow the connection, monitoring, supervision and interface of robots in the cloud/edge with the cybersecurity conditions required for its industrial use.

This company is part of the United Robotics Group, a business group consolidated as a European reference company in mobile service robotics. This collaboration is undoubtedly a step forward for Olmar’s international operations and progress in the search for innovation and excellence that characterizes the company.