Delcam chosen to lead remanufacturing project

Delcam has been selected to manage a GBP1m project called Reclaim, which aims to develop improved methods for the remanufacturing of high-value engineering components.

The Reclaim project is being undertaken by a consortium of eight organisations that, in addition to Delcam, includes Renishaw, Electrox, TWI, Precision Engineering Technologies, Cummins Turbo Technologies, Airfoils Technology International and De Montfort University.

The main aim of the project is to develop an integrated production system incorporating all of the processes required for cost-effective, rapid and reliable remanufacturing.

The Reclaim process will provide the UK with a technological advantage over countries where the remanufacturing sector is currently better developed and over those having lower labour costs.

Most remanufacturing involves a series of operations on different pieces of equipment, which may even be in different companies.

Each process is labour intensive and dependent upon the skill of the operator.

This makes the overall process inefficient, expensive and difficult to manage.

The new system, which is being developed during the project, combines laser cladding, machining and in-process scanning in a single machining cell.

While the main focus will be on the repair of damaged parts, it is planned that the new equipment could also be used to manufacture new metal parts, to upgrade obsolete parts and to reconfigure standard parts for specialist, low-volume applications.

To achieve this goal, a number of important developments will be required.

A laser-cladding head, using the latest fibre laser technology, will be developed that will fit directly into the spindle of a conventional milling machine, thus simplifying the programming of the machine to perform the cladding process.

The CAM software to be developed will enable seamless control of cladding, machining and inspection processes via a single interface.

A contact measurement system for remanufacturing applications will be developed to enable rapid inspection of parts.

This scanning information will be used to locate the part accurately, assess the degree of damage, define the machining operation, and to inspect the part at the end of the process.

The result is an integrated system that combines laser cladding, machining and in-process scanning in a single machining cell.

Although laser cladding, high-speed five-axis machining and contact scanning are well established as individual processes, they are not yet available in a combined manufacturing unit.

Delcam's main contribution to the project will be the development of a single piece of software to control the entire process from start to finish.

This project is co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

Back to top