SBIR-STTR Award

Hole preparation for aircraft manufacturing is the one of the highest manufacturing costs at approximately 30 percent. The current manual method for hole preparation is to drill a pilot hole (typically 0.128-inch diameter) then perform multiple reaming steps to achieve final diameter. Military aircraft and certain areas of commercial aircraft utilize thick, exotic materials to achieve strength-to-weight requirements. The current manual, multistep process is time consuming and ergonomically difficult. Perfect Point has developed a patented technology that is commercially available for aircraft fastener removal. The purpose of responding to this SBIR Solicitation is to evaluate whether Perfect Point’s technology can be adapted to the task of drilling holes in multiple material stacks used in airplane manufacture. Perfect Point has already demonstrated our technology is able to cut every type of conductive material included in multiple material stack samples provided by aircraft manufacturers. The next step is to evaluate whether the technology can be adapted such that all materials can be cut to specifications while stacked, eliminating burrs and the need to de-stack materials prior to final assembly.

Benefit:
The resulting technological advances may be commercialized in the form of tools to be used in the airplane manufacturing process that could result in a significant reduction of manufacturing costs. The commercial product(s) would be of interest to any manufacturer of commercial or military aircraft in which incorporate thick, exotic, multiple material stacks (including mixes of composite and metal) are used.

Keywords:
Aerospace, Aircraft Assembly, Automation, Drilling, Electrical Discharge Machining, Edm, F-35, Reaming

Perfect point EDM Corporation has developed a patented technology that is commercially available for aircraft fastener removal known as the e•drill™ system. The unique device is a handheld Electro-Discharge Machining (EDM) unit. The handpiece is similar in size to a small conventional drill motor. Using a tubular electrode the e•drill cuts through even the hardest metals at a rate unmatched by conventional drilling techniques. A typical cut through a Titanium fastener (nominal ¼” size) is about 13 seconds with no more pressure required than to contain the dielectric water used in the process, greatly reducing operator fatigue. Unlike conventional drilling, the e•drill leaves no residual heat or debris. It has become evident that the e•drill is just as valuable in hole drilling operations in hard alloys used in aircraft construction. A particular problem area in aircraft manufacturing is composite stack materials. Conventional drilling is extremely difficult in metal / Carbon Fiber Resin Process (CRFP) stacks and has potential for damaging the CRFP material. In Phase I Perfect Point demonstrated a process that minimizes the potential damage risks while reducing operator effort and increasing efficiency. Phase II will allow development of a system prototype suitable for manufacturing integration.

Benefit:
The resulting technological advances may be commercialized in the form of tools to be used in the airplane manufacturing process that could result in a significant reduction of manufacturing costs. The commercial product(s) would be of interest to any manufacturer of commercial or military aircraft in which thick, exotic, multiple material stacks (including mixes of composite and metal) are used.

Keywords:
Perfect Point, E-Drill, Electro-Discharge Machining, Composite Stack, Hole Drilling, Hole Boring