IIT Bombay develops autonomous technology for aerospace components repair

With the help of the technology, the defective component which requires repair will be scanned autonomously for damage detection via a laser scanner and the deposition path will be determined based on certain algorithms.  

Ramesh Kumar Singh from the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has developed an autonomous technology for the repair and restoration of high-value components such as molds, turbine blades and other aerospace components that require minimal human intervention. 

It is expected that the technology will leapfrog the restoration and repair industry to the next level and help in nucleation of a viable cutting-edge laser manufacturing ecosystem for Atmanirbhar Bharat. 

Novel technology ensures restoration with enhanced quality, repeatability

The technology that uses a laser for process control is completely autonomous with minimal to zero human intervention. This ensures restoration with enhanced quality and repeatability. The technology developed with support from the advanced manufacturing technologies programme of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has undergone validation and testing. 

With the help of the technology, the defective component which requires repair will be scanned autonomously for damage detection via a laser scanner and the deposition path will be determined based on certain algorithms. The laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) technique will be used to deposit the material, followed by finishing and automated inspection of the restored product. 

The developed system consists of a robotic restoration system and is designed to function autonomously for all key activities such as scanning path planning, damage detection, deposition, finishing and inspection. In addition, the process parameters will be obtained from physics-based models to induce favourable residual stress, which is one of the key limitations in restoration via additive manufacturing.  

The final integration of the two systems, the laser-directed energy deposition and the defect scanning systems, is underway and the project is at the seventh stage of the technology readiness level. Ramesh has allied with Bharat Forge, Aditya Birla Science and Technology Company and Interface Design Associates for its industrial uptake. According to Ramesh, it is expected that the pay-off from the technology would include the entire machine cost with around repair of 20-odd components. 

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