FEATURE maintenance More information Since 2008, Lufthansa Technik has pioneered automated scarfing and repair as part of its innovation roadmap under the Rapid Repair and CAIRE research projects, together with various project partners from the aviation industry. The industrialization of the developed technology began in 2016 with the definition of composite component repair processes in line with repair manuals and the repair procedures developed by Lufthansa Technik. After defining the scope of the system, iSAM AG, a well-known partner from the Rapid Repair and CAIRE projects, was selected as an engineering partner and system provider. The Rapid Repair and CAIRE projects were founded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in the Framework of the LuFo programmes. Nose radome repair variations increased efficiency. In addition, the integrated vacuum extraction of milling dust and chips allows better waste flow control and removes the need for personal protective equipment and the corresponding waste. Aviation certification of the new automated repair processes was conducted under Lufthansa Technik's approval as a design organization. Conclusion The adaptive robot system is the first automated scarfing system used operationally in the MRO industry. Extensive research and development have yielded the right combination of hardware components combined with adaptive algorithms to achieve the required high accuracy. CAIRE system during the demonstration phase This technological leap forward allows new repair processes at a higher efficiency and is the basis for further repair improvements and automation in the MRO industry. FILTRATION TEXTILES > COMPOSITE TEXTILES INDUSTRIAL TEXTILES www.vombaur.de 32 jec composites magazine / N°135 July - August 2020 More information: www.lufthansa-technik.com/ composite-structures SEAMLESS SOLUTIONShttps://www.lufthansa-technik.com/composite-structures http://www.vombaur.de