Advanced manufacturing for the aeronautical and automotive sectors

The IK4-TEKNIKER technology centre is the leader of a European project on Advanced Manufacturing whose goal is to develop equipment based on state-of-the-art know-how such as robotics or artificial vision to achieve a perfect finish for parts produced by injection casting. The prototype will offer more competitive and comprehensive solutions for sectors dealing with sectors connected to aeronautics, electricity, electronic components and the automotive business.

The Basque company IDELT is also involved in the DEBUR initiative. It is an engineering firm that develops prototypes and is located in the Biscayan municipality of Igorre. There is also a consortium involved with robotic firms such as Rurobots (United Kingdom), Blue Ocean Robotics (Denmark) or universities such as the Technical University of Munich (Germany), the Scuola Superiore Sant´Anna in Pisa (Italia), the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain) or the Commissariat d´Energie Atomique (CEA) in France.

Injection casting processes are used to manufacture large parts based on light alloys of aluminium, zinc, magnesium, lead and copper. This industrial process makes it possible to obtain highly complex and accurate components, although finishing and deburring operations are required to correctly remove undesired uneven edges and burrs.

In this regard, IK4-TEKNIKER is currently undertaking a European project called DEBUR whose aim is to develop a fully functional prototype featuring advanced manufacturing know-how based on laser, robotics and artificial vision.

“We are contributing with our extensive knowledge related to sectors that use lasers to process materials, robotics and automated industrial processes within the scope of the project to design a solution that offers greater flexibility and automation capabilities”, says Carlos Soriano, the coordinator of the project at the technology centre.

Deburring processes currently use hydraulic presses, meaning that a die has to be made for each reference to be manufactured. Moreover, the complexity of a part together with its thickness and type of material used sometimes can give rise to inaccurate cutting operations producing geometric deviations that require additional inspections and revisions.

The expert also points out that “the ultimate aim of DEBUR is to create a single prototype that offers a solution for finishing cycles featuring cycle times and quality levels that are either similar or superior to those currently achievable”

IK4-TEKNIKER is responsible for developing the laser deburring process and other aspects related to artificial vision required to handle parts and define deburring trajectories in addition to incorporating all the necessary technologies to the prototype to be manufactured.

IDELT, on the other hand, will define process requirements and take charge of validating the process.

The main beneficiaries of this initiative are companies dedicated to light metal alloy casting, i.e., regular suppliers of the aeronautical, electricity, electronic component or automotive sectors.

The project, that kicked-off in May 2015 and will last until October 206, is funded by the 7th European Framework Programme via the ECHORD++ project.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme under grant agreement nº 601116.