Out-of-autoclavE SElf-heated tooliNg enabling temperature homogeneity and embedded graphene Sensors (ESENSE)

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Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK

£4,904,400

March 31, 2022

March 31, 2024

The growing demand for composite materials in aerospace due to lightweight advantages over their metallic counterparts has given a new impetus to the development of eco-friendly, cost-effective composite manufacturing processes. A350 XWB and Boeing 777X use more than 50% composites by weight, with the latter having the world's largest aircraft wings formed from composite materials.

Historically, aerospace composites have been manufactured using autoclave processes. However, the extremely high equipment and operational costs, prolonged process cycles and inability to make in-process adjustments have led to the need for developing more versatile, less costly out-of-autoclave (OOA) manufacturing routes. While OOA is mostly used in aerospace, sectors such as automotive, renewable energy and consumer electronics are adopting this technology, hoping to improve the efficiency of their processes in terms of time and cost as well as the quality of their products.

The continuous need for efficient composite parts renders the development of self-heated tools and in-process adjustment systems along with robust in-process and in-service monitoring imperative. OOA offers efficient thermal management, low cost and the ability to make in-process adjustments over conventional processes. Current self-heated tooling solutions suffer from temperature inhomogeneity and high system complexity. In addition, monitoring capabilities are often limited due to the complexity and high cost of currently available technologies. This implies that the development of low-cost non-intrusive sensing solutions able to withstand processing conditions would significantly enhance the quality of composite materials exploiting their full potential. Therefore, composite manufacturing can be significantly improved by combining effective multi-zone, self-heated tooling in OOA processing with an on-line process and in-service monitoring to ensure robust defect-free manufacturing.

The ESENSE project aims to bring to market a smart composite manufacturing route comprising a self-heated, multi-zone OOA composite tooling capable of manufacturing composite parts with process monitoring and through-life sensing capabilities. ESENSE will be a fully controlled processing tool that will minimise the required energy budget and offer unparalleled quality assurance. This will enable first-time-right efficient OOA processes, effectively replacing the extremely costly autoclave moulded parts as well as offering a more robust and cost-effective alternative to existing self-heated tooling solutions.

ESENSE's **Unique Selling Points** lie in:

1. 45-55% less costly solution than traditional autoclaves.
2. First-time-right, high-quality and cost-effective OOA aerospace parts.
3. Unparalleled part quality assurance with real-time process monitoring and non-intrusive through-life sensing capabilities via embedded graphene ink sensors.
4. 20% shorter lead times and 15% energy savings throughout the composite-curing processing cycle.