ROBOT-ASSISTED PROCESSING Fanuc’s


M-710iC/50 dual-arm pipe cutting demo cell


Rolls-Royce’s robotic probe can deliver a laser beam to places in a jet engine that are hard to reach


REAPING REWARDS WITH ROBOTICS


Matthew Dale looks at what can be achieved by combining robots with lasers, including a novel tool for repairing jet engines being developed by Rolls-Royce


requirements. Te benefits of the technology are far from being limited to these parameters alone, however, and the delivery method is just as advantageous in a number of dynamic, robot- assisted metal processing applications. Te extensive reach offered by a narrow, flexible


T 14


fibre makes fibre lasers the ideal choice when delivering light to areas that are hard to access, as Rolls-Royce is currently demonstrating with its


LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 38 • SPRING 2018


he industrial reign of the fibre laser has been underway for several years now, thanks to its high beam quality, superior wall-plug efficiency and low maintenance


latest repair technology for aerospace engines. Rolls-Royce inspects its engines thousands of


times every year to find signs of wear and tear, such as damaged compressor blades in a turbine. When a part is identified that needs maintenance, rather than removing and stripping down the entire engine to repair the damage, Rolls-Royce has instead been using blending scopes to grind the compressor blade layer-by-layer into a smooth scallop shape that leaves the aircraſt safe to fly. Tese rigid methods are quite limited, however,


according to James Kell, on-wing technology specialist at Rolls-Royce, because an inspection port needs to be situated right next to the damaged area on the compressor blade, which isn’t always the case. Rolls-Royce and some of its partners have therefore developed an alternative repair method consisting of a small, flexible, fibre-fed laser probe and a deployment device that form a snake-like robot. Te robotic probe can perform blending repairs inside an engine without needing direct access through an inspection port.


‘Tis allows us to reach parts previously


inaccessible with traditional methods,’ Kell stated. ‘Te laser probe can be steered into the correct place via an inspection port that is between 4 and 13mm in diameter. Te distance travelled by the probe to the damage site is approximately 300mm.’ Te miniature optical head at the end of the


fibre, developed by optoelectronics manufacturer Optek, contains a number of focusing optics and a steerable mirror. Te fibre laser itself, also provided by Optek, sits outside the engine and delivers its light to the optical head through the flexible optical fibre, which is approximately five metres long, according to Kell. Te deployment mechanism was built by


Surgical Innovations, a manufacturer of laparoscopic medical instruments. ‘We’ve worked with them [Surgical Innovations] to develop a tool that allows us to – with a bit of manual skill and handling – drive the optical head to a target location,’ said Kell. ‘Once it’s there, we then pull a cable that snaps together a number of miniature


@lasersystemsmag | www.lasersystemseurope.com


Fanuc


Rolls-Royce


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