3D Metrology Solutions

 

PLYGAGE

Fast, Easy, Integrated Composite Repair

Composite Repair In Minutes, Not Days Gone are the days of composite repair personnel spending days hand-tracing and hand-cutting plies. Twin Coast Metrology's ply detection system performs ply tracing in minutes from the comfort of a laptop computer, allowing repair personnel the time and resources to do what they do best: keep our airplanes safely flying!

Twin Coast Announces PlyGage Optical Composite Repair Ply Detection System The PG-1 and PG-2 PlyGage systems provide a hardware and software toolset that makes ply tracing easy yet powerful. This solution delivers a self-contained ply tracing powerhouse with all 3D and 2D operations. Data is exported directly to the ply cutter and laser projector for a complete solution. Contact Twin Coast Metrology today to find out more!

All PlyGage systems offer:
* Accuracy: +/- 10% of ply width, +/- 3 sigma
* Export data formats compatible with CAD means the engineering team can help make critical decisions
* Export data formats compatible with ply cutter (pre-flattened in the PlyGage software) including ply orientations
* Export data formats compatible with laser projector for easy ply layup on the aircraft surface
* Large field of view of 30" x 30" in a single image handles most scarfed surfaces. Larger images are possible
* Mounting on a portable tripod
* Speed: camera-fast ply acquisition, and auto and "helper" modes to make ply finding a "snap"
* Operation in any lighting environment
* Control from a laptop computer
* Field-calibration
* Rugged, portable construction can be moved throughout your facility

 

PG-1 PlyGage System Offers:
* Lowest Cost
* Highest Portability
* Single-camera ply detection
* Applicable to "flat" repairs (curved repairs with optional upgrade)
* Largest image size

PG-2 PlyGage System Offers:
* Dual-camera ply detection
* Easiest to use
* Applicable to 100% of repairs (including reinforcement plies with optional upgrade)
* Point-and-shoot ply detection

 

PlyGage workflow
1) The repair person uses PlyGage hardware and software to accurately reproduce the repair scarf
2) The flattened, 2D ply data with ply orientations is e-mailed or exported to the ply cutter software
3) The ply cutter cuts the plies and they are delivered to the repair site
4) PlyGage exports the ply map to the laser projector to project the repair plies onto the scarf
5) The repair person lays up the plies as directed by the laser projector, completing the repair

This improved process means the repair person does not need to hand-trace scarfs, or hand-cut replacement plies, and does not need to travel with piles of composite material--in the case of field repairs, the pre-cut replacement plies are simply delivered on the next flight out. This saves significant time and effort in production and AOG (aircraft on ground) circumstances, cutting days off of the repair cycle.

 

A complete solution
We are proud to work with the composite industry's leaders as part of a complete, integrated solution: ply detection/tracing, ply layout and cutting, laser projection to guide the layup process, and ply orientation verification.

 

 

Images below illustrate PlyGage ply detection on reinforced (braided) composite,
and PlyGage export to laser projector for a unidirectional repair for accurate ply layup

 

Copyright 2008 Twin Coast Metrology, Inc.