Government Research

The ultimate technical objective of this SBIR is to design, prototype, and commercially produce a lightweight, portable, Scarfing Tool for Automated Repair of Composites (STARC). Phase I efforts, started in 1995, were primarily directed at gathering, documenting, and analyzing information to determine the overall feasibility of the proposed STARC tool. Based on these efforts, automated repair of composites is possible. Phase II work, now complete, included the design and construction of a prototype STARC.

The prototype STARC system constructed under this Phase II effort addresses design concerns relating to the composite repair process and automated equipment operational requirements as expressed by aircraft manufacturers and government personnel. However, during the Phase I evaluation, it was discovered that, with minimal additional effort, the STARC system manipulator could be used for a host of other aircraft maintenance applications by simply changing the tool attached to the manipulator. These applications include paint/coating application and removal, drilling/tapping operations, routing operations to create equipment access panels, aircraft canopy polishing and surface inspection.

The STARC system, which includes an open architechure controller, has the potential to evolve into a general purpose lightweight and portable manipulator capable of performing a wide range of processes in addition to scarfing. This flexibility makes the system much more attractive and cost effective for both industry and the military.

For futher reading on this project please feel free to download and read the following Project Report (Adobe .pdf format).

Prototype Features:

Portable - under 100 lbs. (45 kg)
Lead screw actuated Stewart Platform
Vacuum cup attachment
24" (610 mm) diameter workspace
20" (508 mm) workspace height
Surface contours down to 3" (76 mm) radius
User friendly graphical interface
Laser based, non-contact, surface measurement scans and creates 3D map of surface.
Automatic generation of scarf profile
STARC movie (.mpg file, 62 sec.)
Composite panel scarfing complete

PUSHCORP, INC. P.O. Box 181915 • Dallas • Texas • 75218 • (972) 840-0208 • FAX (972) 840-1046

The S.T.A.R.C. LE is a new development of the STARC concept, proposed as a free standing tool for the scarfing of composite wing leading edges.
^{PushCorp S.T.A.R.C. LE Proposal (Adobe .pdf format)}
^{PushCorp S.T.A.R.C. LE PowerPoint Presentation}