Improving Efficiency and Sustainability Through Predictive Tool Wear Monitoring During Manual Drilling of CFRP

Citation
Congress of the German Academic Association for Production Technology (WGP 2023)
Contribution to Conference
Congress of the German Academic Association for Production Technology, WGP 2023 
Publisher DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-47394-4_11
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85178332787
Aircraft assembly involves many high-precision rivet holes, with around one-third drilled manually by experienced workers. Wireless electrical machines are increasingly replacing pneumatic drilling machines to reduce energy consumption. Nevertheless, the lifespan of the cutting tools varies between 20 and 70 drill holes in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) depending on the individual experience and constitution of the worker, resulting in a large waste in cemented carbide. This article proposes a method that uses the internal sensors of the drilling machine to predict tool wear during manual drilling. The main challenge is the rapid wear of the tools and the unknown feed rate, which depends on the individual workers’ constitution and experience. By predicting tool wear, this method can help reduce waste and improve the efficiency, sustainability, and precision of manual drilling operations in aircraft structural assembly.
DDC Class
620: Engineering