Egile
Egile supplies more than 25,000 NGV components per year to ITP Aero thanks to its innovative automated manufacturing cell.
Technology: Crysta Apex V CMM
Sector: Aeronautics
Metrología Sariki and SMARTPM collaborate in the development of this highly technological and competitive solution, which integrates quality control and digital process management in real time.
EGILE is an industrial and technological group that offers specialized products and services in the field of high-precision mechanics. Its mechanical division designs, develops, manufactures, and installs components for aerospace and safety, such as engines, aircraft control systems, and transmission, for leading clients in their sector (ITP Aero, Pratt & Whitney, Safran, Rolls Royce), with specialized business units for each solution.
In 2016, the aeroengine business unit embarked on a very ambitious project that has allowed them to develop their first automated NGV component manufacturing cell.
To undertake the project, Egile has closely collaborated with Metrología Sariki, an expert in the development of industrial dimensional metrology solutions, and SMARTPM, an expert in industrial process automation and optimization.
Nozzle Guide Vanes (NGV) play a critical role in the efficiency, thermodynamic performance, and acquisition cost of gas turbine engines. Until now, the large aerospace companies for which the group worked carried out internally the manufacturing of this component, where safety is crucial. Aware of the challenges involved in machining superalloys, EGILE identified this growth opportunity and has taken a step forward by offering their client, ITP Aero, a highly technological and competitive solution that guarantees the production of 25,000 NGV components per year.
The project has been developed considering two main lines of work:
- On the one hand, an innovative engineering development where they have applied the lean manufacturing model and developed an automated manufacturing cell that includes 3 grinding machines, 3 EDM machines, 3 CMMs, and two industrial robots.
- On the other hand, an autonomous process management system supported by the MIC automation platform developed by SMARTPM. A system that not only captures data and information from the production process but also integrates the automation of the process itself, enabling real-time decision-making and execution, incorporating quality control information as a key input for such management.
Among the keys to optimization, real-time inline manufacturing inspection stands out. Sariki has installed 3 Mitutoyo CRYSTA APEX CMM to serve the grinding and EDM centers of the cell.
The CMMs use a single standardized fixturing for the positioning of the parts. Prior to machining, the CMM is used to position the raw part in the fixturing, and this information is automatically communicated through the MIC to the grinding center along with the machining programs to start its operation with 100% reliability, improving the process, manufacturing times, minimizing operator intervention, and ensuring traceability of machining/inspection programs.
The CMMs perform intermediate inspections that include both geometric elements, profiles and radii for self-control, using probes up to 0.5 mm and a 100% geometric inspection of the final part. Thanks to the project, Egile is capable of verifying all critical dimensions of its NGVs with a single measuring system, minimizing defects and visualizing the quality of its process in real-time and with greater precision.
The working team formed by Egile, Sariki, and SMARTPM has worked on the positioning of the parts in the standardized fixturing, the development of optimized measurement programs adapted to the validation system of their end customer, as well as the implementation of preliminary safety measurements and calibrations to prevent possible errors and line stops.
The second key to optimization lies in the implementation of the MIC. A software platform that centralizes process management based on real-time information captured from all assets within the cell (machining, inspection, operators, robots, etc.). This solution has enabled the digitalization of workflows, incorporating the Lean scheme and automating decision-making, reducing dependence on operators, improving time and quality. All of this has helped reduce defects to as low as 0.2%.
The NGV manufacturing cell has a robotic loading and unloading system mounted on a rail, supplying both manufacturing and inspection processes, and is supervised by a real-time process analyzer. NGV components are high-value parts that require rigorous process control, where defect reduction is one of the key variables for improving process quality and productivity.
When the MIC, supported by real-time inline manufacturing inspection information, identifies a variable that is out of tolerance or trending to go beyond process limits, it acts on the process by updating variables and applying compensations, thus stabilizing the process in real-time. The 129 inspected dimensions are automatically transferred to statistical software, and the MIC system autonomously manages the feedback loop. The artificial intelligence algorithms used by SMARTPM help Egile establish cause-effect relationships and models that allow them to determine the root causes of problems and infer and execute autonomous actions such as modifying parameters, processing routes, and contextual variables to prevent such failures, thereby gaining in quality, productivity, and flexibility.
The project has not only allowed Egile to improve quality and productivity but also positively impact the ergonomics and autonomy of the cell supervisors. A Lean philosophy has been integrated with an automated management platform that revolves around in-process inspection and a "human in the loop" approach that facilitates collaboration between machines and supervisors.
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