The Aurecomp project in application at Compositadour

With the aim of automating the repair process of composite materials in aeronautics using a not-through-cutting abrasive water jet, the Aurecomp project is currently in application at the Compositadour Technology Platform at the Technology Park site in Bayonne.

“For the past six months we have had a REPLY.5 machine supplied by the start-up Bayab Industries in Toulouse. This device allows machining by abrasive water jet with more than 1000 bars of pressure and an accuracy of a few microns," explains Francis Sedeilhan, head of the Compositadour technology platform dedicated to advanced materials and located at the Technology Park site in Bayonne. 

The Aurecomp project is funded by the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and allows machining time to be reduced by a factor of three compared to traditional manual machining. Two engineers and a technician at Compositadour have been working on this project for six months, and this summer, parts for Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft and Tiger helicopters were repaired in Bayonne. This innovation in abrasive water jet machining may well open doors to new markets for Compositadour. 

Another possible development of Compositadour's activity via this technology is the "Sustainable" project to repair wind turbine blades. “This is an exploratory project that aims to attach the REPLY.5 machine, which weighs around fifty kilos, to a drone to repair wind turbine blades directly on site," explains Francis Sedeilhan. This new project will be studied and developed from this autumn onwards.

Website: https://www.compositadour.com