The Italian company Blacks S.r.l. was founded in November 2011 by a group of young specialists with extensive experience in composite materials. The company specializes in the design, prototyping and manufacture of components in advanced composite materials (carbon, glass, aramid and hybrid fibers). The company's services cover the design and production of composite and metal parts for the automotive, aerospace, marine and sports industries.
Blacks' customers demand extremely high dimensional accuracy. This is why the company has always been equipped with 3D measurement tools. 3D measurement technologies are used on a daily basis for dimensional control and validation of incoming models, molds and outgoing components. In some cases, the technology is used for reverse engineering, to support production and design, thus simplifying the production process.
In order to improve its metrology equipment, Blacks decided to acquire the MetraSCAN BLACK portable 3D scanner from Creaform. This system was chosen because of its higher scanning speed, compared with the systems used previously. Another decisive factor was the time saved by not having to apply targets or sprays to shiny parts. The Creaform system is faster, more versatile and more effective in all situations, and can be used for a wider range of applications. As Blacks was already using a wide range of different measuring systems, it was easy to implement the new system, as using the Creaform scanner is very intuitive. Operators quickly familiarized themselves with the new tool and used it to its full potential.
MetraSCAN 3D ensures a perfect bonding process
MetraSCAN 3D was used to verify the bond between two components. In the composite materials sector, bonding between two components is generally carried out using special jigs to prepare and maintain the mutual position of the two parts during bonding.
Let's take the example of a racing car, based on the following assumptions:
- Racing car components have very strict homologation parameters (+/- 0.5mm / 1000mm).
- Stressed dimensions are measured on the bond, not on monolithic components.
- The bonding process is highly complex, requiring considerable manual adaptation. Bonding takes place between components whose areas are machined or worked by hand.
- Bonding jigs are calibrated to achieve the result, but in some cases it's not possible to rely solely on the jigs: during curing, composite components can undergo large deformations due to unbalanced layers. These deformations are not always perfectly predictable, and in some cases the component does not fit the template perfectly.
Under these conditions, which are frequently encountered in the production of prototypes for the motorsport sector, being able to control the bonding in real time, during the adhesive consolidation process, helps to achieve the optimum result in the production phase.
Here's what Blacks did: As the value of the bonded assembly was in excess of €15,000, it was decided to manufacture a bonding jig with continuous monitoring during the glue curing phase, to ensure correct mutual positioning of the parts.
Could Blacks have carried out the same test with the old measuring tool? It's impossible to know, as the strong limitation of surface opacification has always discouraged any attempt. This particular use of the MetraSCAN 3D differs from standard everyday use, such as mold inspection and dimensional control at Blacks. It does, however, demonstrate its flexibility in all situations, such as bonding prototypes or placing bonded components without the need for dedicated bonding equipment.
MetraSCAN 3D helps Blacks win more projects
"Obviously, we could have carried out the project described with other equipment, but the costs in money and time would have been higher. It's also worth mentioning that in some cases, higher costs can result in the loss of the order, so using a system like Creaform's MetraSCAN BLACK was the deciding factor in the project," comments Daniele Malusardi, Project Manager at Blacks Srl. "We will continue to use 3D measurement on a daily basis in the inspection of molds, models and components, in cases of reverse engineering and gluing of prototypes or single parts. But we will always remain active in the search for innovative application solutions to support production. In our experience, the strengths of the Creaform system are certainly the high scanning speed and the versatility of the measurement technology."