DOPAG and FLT win the AVK Innovation Award 2016

Award for the metering technology manufacturer DOPAG and FLT: piston metering and mixing system vectomix completes new portal robot for jointing.

For the participation in the development of a portal robot for seam sealing, DOPAG received the AVK Innovation Award 2016 from the German Industry Association for Reinforced Plastics. It is one of the most prestigious awards of the composites industry. Jens Bölke, Key Market Manager Aerospace & Composites, accepted the award for DOPAG on 28 November at the Composites Europe trade fair in Düsseldorf.

DOPAG received the prize together with the company for automation solutions, FIBRO LÄPPLE TECHNOLOGY (FLT), which developed the portal robot and the company EngRoTec, which was responsible for the development of online web inspection and measurement of the joints. The system uses the metering and mixing system vectomix from DOPAG. This is particularly suitable for the processing of multi-component media, as in this case of "low density" polysulfides, and is used whenever the material is to be applied in a highly dynamic and precise manner.

The system enables automated geometry acquisition, dosing and application within the process of jointing. The robot has been developed especially for applications in the aerospace industry: it seals joints and edges on large-area CFRP structures, such as on wings in the fuel tank or on aerodynamically relevant components like window frames.

Connection of sensors, robots and dosing units
An optical sensor on the dosing head measures the present gap geometry. Based on these values, the required quantity of sealant is determined and automatically applied within a process step using the DOPAG metering and mixing system vectomix.

The control system allows for the first time a real-time communication of all the components involved, and thus a direct response to changing process parameters such as, for example, joint width or depth. This allows an integrated processor in the scanner to take over the image and data processing and communicate with the robot. As a result, both the measuring travel and the adhesive application can be carried out online and in a single movement, while a continuous path correction of the robot travel path takes place.

Automated application results in significant savings or improvements in processing time, reproducibility, and material usage. For customers, this means significantly reduced time, more productivity and less cost.