CONnected Flexible dIGital hybrid additive manufacturing Unit designed for REpair (CONFIGURE)

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Today's increasingly complex high value engineering parts are too valuable to discard whenthey are damaged. Unfortunately, current repair methods, often based on a series of complexmanual operations, are difficult to control to ensure that high performance, often safetycritical, parts have the required level of integrity. This problem is exacerbated when parts arerepaired in remote, often inhospitable and hazardous locations, where it is difficult to providethe required level of repair skill.There is an urgent need for a flexible, efficient and automated method of repairing high valuemetallic parts, close to the point of use. Hybrid Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes,combining Directed Energy Deposition (DED) AM processes, with conventional 5 axesmachining are already in production. Although very effective, this solution is limited torelatively small parts.In CONFIGURE a flexible automated repair unit, encompassing every stage of the repairoperation (damage assessment, repair, finishing and final inspection) will be developed anddemonstrated. Using a robotic platform with interchangeable inspection, deposition andmachining heads it will allow parts of almost unlimited size to be repaired in a seamlessoperation. The new unit can be provided in portable and even mobile configuration, enabling itto be positioned wherever required.Digital manufacturing technology is a key aspect of the project. An array of sensors will beincorporated into the repair unit to provide both process and part quality data. Thisinformation, used to enable the unit to operate in an autonomous mode, will also be logged toallow detailed analysis to be performed and provide traceability. The CONFIGURE unit will bedemonstrated in two end-use sectors, repair of damaged rail track and high value miningequipment but there are a wide range of potential cross-sector applications, including new partproduction.