Automated Repair of Components using Cold Spray and Continuous3D

Cold spray is an established process for repair of metal components. For example, it has been widely adopted in the repair of corroded aluminum and magnesium castings used on aircraft. While cold spray can be performed manually, high levels of accuracy and process control require robotic implementation. However, robotic path planning for cold spray is complex and made more arduous by the one-off, bespoke nature of repair operations. Continuous3D is software that enables robots to perform a 3d scan of a damaged component and automatically reinstate missing metal. The software also performs motion planning to optimise robot movement and can integrate with the robot for direct control. This presentation shows the development of each of these parts of the process and presents practical case studies.