Final Thesis: In-line Measurement

The Fraunhofer Institute for Foundry, Composites and Processing Technology IGCV at the location "Am Technologiezentrum 2" now offers a job as a research assistant.

**The institute**: Fraunhofer IGCV is the first Fraunhofer facility for production technology in Bavaria. We are shaping the path to the future of efficient engineering, networked production and intelligent multi-material solutions to ensure the sustainable competitiveness of Germany and Europe. Our main customers come from the mechanical and plant engineering sectors as well as the aerospace and automotive industries.
**The project**: As part of a current research project, the design and manufacture of a helicopter airframe in fibre composite is being investigated. The focus of the design work here is on manufacturing using the Automated Fiber Placement process (AFP), whereby process-specific defects in the laminate are to be identified and avoided during the design process using a design-to-manufacturing strategy, in order to make full use of the potential of the high-performance materials and specialised process routes used.
**Topic of the thesis**: The tolerance of the AFP process with regard to depositing accuracy is primarily determined by the accuracy of the robot/system kinematics and is thus in the range of a few 1/10 millimetre.
However, complex surface geometries and curved fibre courses lead to a systematic lateral drift of the tapes during the deposit far beyond the tolerance.
Within the scope of this thesis, the described tape drift is to be measured using the laser light-sectioning method and examined for systematic occurrence depending on the geometry of the delivery path.
The sensor to be used is integrated in the AFP system and is mainly used to detect defects such as fuzzballs or wrinkles. Accordingly, in addition to the actual measurement and description of drifting, the use of the method for quantitative measurement is also to be investigated.

**What you will do**
- Familiarisation with fibre placement technology
- Development of edge/tape detection for profile scan data
- Measurement of tape drift on flat and curved surfaces
- Identification of systematic effects that lead to tape drift in AFP

**What you bring to the table**
- Studies in the field of aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, physics or computer science
- Knowledge of data processing using Python, C++ or similar advantageous
- Knowledge of the properties and manufacturing processes of fibre composites favourable
- Reliable and independent way of working

**What you can expect**

We offer flexible working hours, excellent equipment and the opportunity to actively shape manufacturing processes for aerospace projects of the future with us. As part of a friendly, motivated team, you will be involved in the realisation of exciting research projects and take on responsible tasks with a high degree of creative freedom.

With its focus on developing key technologies that are vital for the future and enabling the commercial utilization of this work by business and industry, Fraunhofer plays a central role in the innovation process. As a pioneer and catalyst for groundbreaking developments and scientific excellence, Fraunhofer helps shape society now and in the future.

For questions about this position, please contact:
Julian Schuster

0821 90678-265

Fraunhofer IGCV

Am Technologiezentrum 2

86159 Augsburg

Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV

Requisition Number: 64682 Application Deadline: