DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MULTI-MATERIAL COMPONENTS (ITC-20133049)

The aim of the DESTACAR project is the development of new technologies and methodologies for the processing and inspection of multi-material components with the aim of boosting production and the quality of its manufacturing processes.

The key for the development of new manufacturing and processing technologies adapted to multi-material components is based on a dual objective:

1. Development and application of new non-conventional manufacturing technology applied to the direct improvement of the production process. The DESTACAR project will address the development of new high-tech manufacturing technology through research in automation and flexible and high-precision robotic manufacturing, the development of new adaptive and reconfigurable production systems and research into new multi-material processing technologies/tools.
2. Development and application of new quality control systems that guarantee production in early stages of manufacturing, which will require the definition of new specific repair procedures. The DESTACAR project HIGHLIGHT proposes the development of non-destructive early inspection technology, based on multi-frequency lock-in thermographic techniques, which allows the detection of manufacturing defects, thereby reducing repair times and increasing the efficiency and quality of the production process.

Thus, the DESTACAR project will modify the processing and production of composite material and multi-material components, leading to an effective improvement and reduction of costs and materials that will generate new business opportunities to the productive sectors involved (manufacturing companies, auxiliary industry, engineering, etc.) and, in particular, to the companies that are part of the project. In this way, given the multi-sectoral nature of the technology to be developed, the Galician region will be provided with the technology and knowledge necessary to reduce costs and increase quality in the processing of composite materials, which can be extended to each and every one of the other sectors that currently use them.

The complexity of this dual objective is such that it demands a consortium of companies with complementary capabilities in robotics, flexible process automation, manufacturing engineering, analysis and signal/image processing and knowledge of the processing of composite materials and multi-material components mandatory:

There will be the participation of the AIMEN Technology Centre, as well as the Department of Electronics and Computation of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), which will contribute their knowledge in robotization and process control, materials science and engineering, inspection by means of non-destructive techniques, as well as manufacturing processes and experience in laser technologies.

This project has been supported by the CDTI, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the Galician Innovation Agency (AGI) and the Technology Fund.