Trials are underway that could see the introduction of production efficiencies for a supplier to the aerospace industry. Zodiac Seats UK is teaming up with 3M to explore new approaches to working with adhesives to speed throughput in their lay-up, cure and assembly line areas. Proposed changes have come as a result of 3M personnel visiting Zodiac Aerospace's Camberley plant to identify improvement opportunities.

The Zodiac Seats UK division focuses on high-end products that it designs, certifies and assembles at its plants in Camberley and Cwmbran, Wales.

One focus of attention for 3M was the process flow for the construction of seat components made from phenolic panels with honeycomb cores where adhesives are required for core splicing or insert potting, edge filling, filleting, panel assembly, the application of veneers and reinforcement for fixtures and fittings.

3M concluded that were no issues with the performance of the adhesives being used that had a long-standing specification for use for aircraft interiors. However, the drawback is that it can be slow, the company says. The speed of the cure was the problem, 3M says, and this was considered by Zodiac Aerospace as a critical area for improvement. Using a two-part adhesive gave cycle times in bonding operations of three to four hours and in some areas, there was a 24-hour wait before panels could be de-clamped to go onto the next stage in the process, 3M says. Ideally, Zodiac Aerospace would like to reduce this to 15-minute cycle times, similar to those achieved by automotive manufacturers on lower volume production lines.

3M set up a workshop at its Bracknell facility where engineers from Zodiac Aerospace worked with 3M adhesives experts to explore various fast-curing/short-cycle time solutions.

One option considered by Zodiac is a two-part structural flexible adhesive epoxy system, which the company says meets all of the FST requirements of standards FAR 25.853, JAR 25.853 and ABD0031. This product is suitable for a range of aircraft interior bonding applications. 3M says that one of its advantages is sufficient open time for panels and components to be correctly positioned. Even so, this structural adhesive still did not meet the curing time targets being sought by Zodiac. To overcome this, 3M proposed using the structural adhesive in combination with a superfast adhesive designed primarily for aftermarket applications.

The proposal involves an adhesive developed for the automotive sector in applications that use a high-crash performance adhesive with a three-hour cure. The adhesive cures in two minutes, and acts as an internal clamp within the panel. This means that the panel can be de-jigged and go on to the next stage in the process while the structural adhesive is still curing, 3M says.

The results of these trials might help Zodiac Aerospace adopt a more streamlined adhesive system and contribute to the overall efficiency of its panel construction processes.