Patent ID: 8524020
Filing Date: 2013-09-03
Classification: B23Q,B29C,G05B

Abstract:
1. A method of restoring a composite airframe containing at least one out-of-tolerance area, comprising: mounting a machine tool on the airframe; locating the boundaries of the out-of-tolerance area; retrieving a set of data defining the airframe geometry; calculating a volume of the airframe to be removed based on the boundaries of the out-of-tolerance area and the airframe geometry; selecting a quantity of layers of the volume for which the machine tool is paused following removal of each one of the layers; programming a controller with a tool path and the quantity of layers; removing one of the layers using the machine tool; and scanning, using a video camera and a non-destructive inspection (NDI) scanner, an area of the airframe uncovered by the removal of the layer to detect an additional out-of-tolerance area for removal.