A German consortium has developed a new manufacturing technique that promises to accelerate the A carbon fiber preform drilled using a USP laser beam with a star-shaped cut-out and a perfectly proportioned metal insert. Source: Fraunhofer ILTmanufacture of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) components. The new technique utilizes a laser to create holes in CFRP parts and cure mechanical inserts into place, enabling faster throughput and enhanced strength.

Historically, discrete components made from CFRP that require holes for mechanical fasteners have a cumbersome production process. First, the holes would have to be machined, and then inserts would have to be glued in place, creating a production bottleneck.

The consortium, known as Carbolase, pursued a technique that instead used a laser to cure the inserts in place, which greatly hastened the production. The technology integrates a CNC cutter and laser onto a robotic arm in a single-cell manufacturing unit.

In testing, the laser-cured mechanical inserts demonstrated 50% more pullout resilience than glued ones. The technology was deemed innovative enough to capture a 2019 CAMX Award for combined strength at the Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, held last September in Anaheim, California.

Members of the consortium include Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, GGTech Ltd., TeaguTec Ltd., SolidCAM Ltd. and Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH. Development was funded in part by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).