Drilling robotic cell

Robotic acoustic drilling of composite panels New-generation aircraft are more fuel-efficient and quieter for passengers and people who live close to airports. Engine acoustics have been optimized using micro-drilled panels that cover a large portion of the interior and exterior surfaces of the cold air stream. This is the principle of the Helmoltz resonator, which is applied to sandwich panels that comprise a honeycomb and a pierced skin with 40 to 60,000 holes per m². Manufacturing these panels is a real challenge partly because production rates have never been so high, and partly because of increasing pressure on production costs. GEBE2 designs and manufactures robotic cells with multi-spindle heads that provide greater flexibility than special machines, and are more cost-effective than solutions based on conventional CNC machines. This pioneering solution has been chosen to produce most of the acoustic panels for the LEAP. Robotic drilling of metallic materials GEBE2 also manufactures robotic drilling cells for metallic materials, such as titanium. Composite acoustic panels are used to reduce noise levels at the front of aircraft engines handling the ‘cold’ flow. Titanium, because of its temperature resistance, constitutes the back panels of aircraft engines and, to reduce the noise level, some of these panels are also drilled. Thanks to our experience with composites, we have applied our know-how to acoustic drilling applications on metal, by adapting the cutting parameters and associated treatments. However, this different application incorporates all the advantages of our developments applied to composite panels.