Automated fabric laminating system

The manufacturing features a novel automated fabric laminating system for the one-piece skin and spar components. For ease of construction, the in situ resin infusion technique and the curing of the composite assembly is undertaken in a factory, ideally located at the dockside where the fabrication of the machine is being assembled. 

As the fabrication process for LTCC and HTCC is fundamentally parallel, inspection plays an important role. Defective layers are ideally identified as early as possible so that additional value is not added to a layer that will ultimately be discarded as scrap. In addition, once a layer is committed to a substrate stack and that stack has been laminated, a defect in a single layer can lead to a scrapped substrate. As a result, inspection is normally performed on a sample or 100% basis throughout the process. These inspection steps generally include verification of via creation, via fill, and comparison of the screen-printed metallization to the design. This process can be as simple as an operator working with a microscope, but automated systems are also available. 

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