Edited: XiaXue
“Is the automatic fiber laying machine installed?” Zhong Bing asked the staff.
“It’s already installed,” said the staff member from Red Letter Group. They started ordering a mechanical device called a carbon fiber composite material automatic laying machine a week ago. This is a key equipment specifically used for large-area carbon fiber composite material synthesis.
“Fully automatic wire laying machine! I have long wanted to see it!” Gao Wei said with amazement, “I’m really ashamed to tell you, but we have been using manual and semi-machine laying methods. The result, our carbon fiber composite materials can’t synthesize on a large scale, and it can only be used in small areas such as beams and wings.”
Lu Zixin and others chatting while walking to the machine room. They want to see Red Letter Group’s new carbon fiber composite synthesis technology and fully automatic wire laying machine.
After they arrived at the machine room. They saw that there’s already an assembly line production equipment. From the new carbon fiber composite material for ‘wire’, paving, construction and so on. All of them completely operated by the machine.
It shocked Anderson, when he saw this machine. Several links of this machine are similar to their company’s core technology machines. This means that Red Letter may really have mastered this technology!
“Mr. Anderson, what do you think of it?” Lu Zixin asked with a smile.
“It looks very good, I want to know how it works?” Anderson said, “A large-volume carbon fiber composite layer is not as simple as we imagined.”
“Yeah, so we also put a lot of effort into it,” Lu Zixin said.
“Did Red Letter Group have been studying this material for a long time?” Anderson’s heart puzzled.
“Can you start?” Peng Zhengge is even more looking forward to this, he hopes to see surprises.
The robot Zhang Ming nodded and said: “The raw materials are all fine, but we need the detailed data of your aircraft’s carbon fiber composite layup. Then input it into the fully automatic layup machine before proceeding to the next step.”
“I’ll arrange this!” Gao Wei start working, let people transfer data and input it into the machine.
“Mr. Zhang, I’m very curious, how much carbon fiber composite layup can be produced by this machine at one time?” Anderson took the opportunity to inquire about the other party’s information.
Zhang Ming said: “As long as the raw materials are enough, how big you want!”
“This is impossible!” Anderson shook his head repeatedly and said, “Mr. Zhang, don’t be kidding, I also know this aspect well. As far as I know, China Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd. now manually adds semi-mechanical carbon fiber composite layup technology. Can complete a small volume like an airplane beam and wing.”
“If it is a wing and fuselage carbon fiber composite layup, it still needs to be provided by our Honeywell International. Even us, dare not say, unlimited volume.”
“High-performance and complex curved carbon fiber composite materials, there must be no defects in the manufacturing process. Aircraft required a strict standard, from material to system. As long as there is a problem on one side, it will affect the overall performance.”
Zhang Ming said plainly with flat expression: “I certainly know that, any shape or weight change of a small component will affect the torque balance and multiple parameters of the entire aircraft. Otherwise, all counterweights must be overturned!”
“Using carbon fiber composites, the most important thing is to make the aircraft lighter, which is where it is better than titanium in some parts.”
“So in addition to designing a carbon fiber composite with better performance, we have adopted the most advanced intelligent algorithms in the setting of the laying machine. It perfected every surface and every small detail. In addition, our precision machine technology is enough to complete a large-volume carbon fiber composite layup.”
“Today, we can directly start manufacturing the composite layup for the wings!”
“Start the wing directly?!” Don’t say Anderson, even the researchers at the Institute of Aeronautical Materials also shocked.
If you want to make large-volume layups of carbon fiber composite materials for wings, they have to repeatedly do many tasks, for a few months. If there are problems with materials or defects in manufacturing, it will take a few more months!
However, the team and equipment from Red Letter Group have not been here for 24 hours, and they are about to start manufacturing the composite layer of the wings. This is too exaggerated! If they are based on their manufacturing efficiency, wouldn’t it be possible to produce airplanes in a factory?
This is not a small private plane, but a large commercial plane! Technical difficulty and work complexity are not a concept at all!
“If you can directly manufacture the composite layer of the wing today. General Peng, you can permanently remove the carbon fiber composite material item from our company’s material purchase list!” Anderson felt that the other party was too arrogant!
During the negotiation and presentation process, they have been putting pressure on him. So, he also has to show the confidence and strength of Honeywell International as an international aviation material giant technology company!
“Then wait and see!” Zhang Ming finished speaking and began to work.
No matter how good the machine and technology are, strict debugging and calculation arrangements must be carried out.
Peng Zhengge, Gao Wei and others are waiting. If they can take this step, it will be of great significance to them. At present, China Commercial Aircraft Manufacturing Company plans to increase the ratio of domestically-made materials and parts of their commercial large aircraft to 50%. Carbon fiber composite materials account for more than 20% of new large aircraft!
This will be an important step for them to get rid of dependence on other countries’ aviation technology companies!
Fergus is also waiting. After more than an hour, Red Letter’s team adjusted the machine with the data and prepared to start production.
In the production workshop, a group of technicians just became onlookers.
“Start!” Zhang Ming gave an order and the machine started. In the machine display, a three-dimensional projection appeared, which is the appearance of finished product. This part of the carbon fiber composite layer will perfectly cover the wing, replacing titanium alloy and aluminum alloy, with stronger performance and reducing the aircraft weight.
Through projection, they can clearly see the manufacturing process of each part, and make timely changes to the error.
Everyone is holding their breath, staring at every step the machine makes. The first is the synthesis of a new type of carbon fiber composite material. The machine made carbon fiber material into filaments, then like a woven cloth, it is poured into a thin layer!
This is completely different from the simple process of making clothes. The threads are all nanometers. Ten layers of carbon fiber composite materials may not add up to a cicada wing nanometer thickness!
And what they have to do is to pave hundreds of layers repeatedly! Moreover, the curved surface and weight ratio of the wing must be taken into consideration, any errors that exceed the error range will not be allowed. Otherwise, all efforts they have made will be abandoned!
[Previous] [ToC] [Next]
