Lufthansa Technik develops automated repair method for composite aircraft structures

Lufthansa Technik AG has for the first time developed a method for the partially automated repair of fiber composite materials on aircraft structural components. Using the new method it will be possible in future to repair the outer skins of aircraft, which these days are increasingly built from composite materials, more quickly and more efficiently. The repair method will primarily be used on aircraft fuselage and wing structures, but it can also be applied to helicopter rotor blades. A patent application has already been submitted for the method developed under the research project, which is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs (BMWi) and which will continue through April 2012. Dr. Franz-Josef Kirschfink, Director Technology Projects at Lufthansa Technik, underscores the benefits of the new method: “Thanks to close cooperation with our partners from industry and research, iSAM AG, Cassidian, GOM – Gesellschaft für optische Messtechnik, Electro Optical Systems (EOS) and Eurocopter, we have succeeded in automating virtually the entire repair process chain. The new method from Lufthansa Technik will make it possible to cut the repair time by up to 60 percent compared with the manual repair.”