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Cevotec displayed a demonstrator section of a major engine nacelle component, made in cooperation with and for SAFRAN Nacelles. This part illustrates how Fiber Patch Placement (FPP) can drastically reduce multi-material lay-up of a 3D-shaped aerospace sandwich component. “These components in aerospace industry find their main applications in winglets, stabilizers (horizontal and vertical), flight control surfaces, radar domes, aerodynamic fairings and nacelle structures,” says Cevotec CTO Felix Michl.  “Today, the continued push is to make these structures more efficient, lightweight yet resilient to meet the industry’s continuous strive for emissions reduction and greener aircraft.” However, in the production of such parts, the geometric complexity and the multi-material mix can pose a particular challenge. Layup typically requires multiple time-consuming manual work steps. Cevotec’s SAMBA Multi has now successfully demonstrated automation of these steps for complex sandwich structures in a single production system. The SAMBA Multi systems accomplish this by using parallel feeding units for different materials, which are then precisely cut and placed on 3D sandwich cores or lay-up molds with a variety of inline quality assurance checks. Larger components are also possible using an optional linear axis and adaptive gripper sizes.