5G system to monitor production of aircraft

Milling parts at high speeds can generate excessive vibrations which result in surface defects in production. As the aerospace sector is subject to strict compliance control, there is no room for error.

Georg Fischer, a technology corporation from Schaffhausen, joined forces with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (Fraunhofer IPT) and Swedish telecoms group Ericsson to develop a new solution for the real-time monitoring of production that requires high process reliability. This solution is based on 5G, which is the only communication standard that can deliver the sensor and production data in under one millisecond.

In Blade-Integrated Disks (BLISK), a component of a jet engine’s compressor, the workpiece could not be inspected until the lengthy milling process was over, leading to rework quota of up to 25 per cent. With this new solution developed by the three partners, Georg Fischer reveals that already identifying such errors during the milling process could generate cost savings of up to US$30 million per year.

The partners are currently presenting their solution at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. They are confident that the application of this monitoring system will also expand into other sectors in future.