INTERNSHIP REPORT

METE 400

OĞUZ CANTÜRK
2379352

Time interval
07.08.2023-04.09.2023
1.5 Departments

1.Clean room

A clean room is a controlled room. The reason why the room is controlled is that the
lifespan of the composite material to be processed inside during production is 96, etc., even
under suitable environmental conditions. This is due to the fact that it takes place in short
periods of time, such as an hour. Pressure, temperature, humidity and dust particles are
regularly checked as controlled factors in the room and are required to remain in optimum
balance for the material to be produced.

At the same time, when entering this room, appropriate work clothes such as a white
apron and shoe covers should be worn. Because the entry of foreign matter into the material
during the production phase causes mechanical damage to the produced engineering product.

Freezing

It was observed that the freezer consisted of 2 parts. It was observed that chemical materials
and dyes were placed in the 1st section at +4o C.

In the 2nd section, temperatures where there are no chemical reactions (-18 o C and -25 o C) are
preferred. The material taken out of the cabinet was taken to the waiting room. After the
manufacturing processes were applied, it was put back in the closet. The reason for putting it
back in the cupboard is that each material has a shelf life under certain normal conditions.

Ply Cutting

Stock material (Graphite, UD, Fiber glass, Kevlar) comes to the company. Afterwards,
they are stored in cold storage at -18° C or lower until the production date. Then, the material to
be used is removed from the cold storage and allowed to reach the appropriate temperature for
a while. Then it is wrapped on a roll and brought to the automatic PLY cutting device. This
machine starts the cutting process by laying the roll on 8 meters of sheet metal. During cutting,
the sheet on the machine is vacuumed, preventing the composite (prepreg) from slipping. The
machine works with computer. A two-dimensional drawing of the engineering product to be
produced is made with the Cutworks program and transferred to this device, which starts the
cutting process after showing the areas to be cut with the laser.

After cutting, a ply label was taken for each prepreg material cut according to the laser
reflection order and pasted on the ply. Plys was collected on a table and turned into a kit
according to its labels.

The cut prepreg roll was placed in a bag, the bag was closed airtight, and the usage time was
recorded and placed in the freezer. The quality inspector was called and checked whether there
were any missing ply, dirt or wrinkles in the kit according to the ply count.
Hand Lay-Up

The piece, which was previously cut and made into a kit, was taken from the waiting cabinet
according to the daily plan. The mold (tool) of the part is fixed. Below are the laying steps of a
sample piece according to the work order.

1. The tool, which comes to the clean room with its separator applied, is checked according to
the work orders and the surface film is laid.

2. Prepreg (Epoxy impregnated graphite) was laid at a +45 angle so that no air remained.

3. Compaction (compression-vacuum) process was done for at least 5 minutes

4. 2.Prepreg was laid at 0o so that no air remained.

5. 3rd and 4th prepregs were laid at +45o angle so that no air remained.

6. Release Film (anti-adhesion) was laid. A Breather (blanket) was laid on it to distribute the air
homogeneously. It was taken into a vacuum bag. It was glued with Sealant tape to prevent air
ingress from the edges. The ears were left to allow my vacuum to reach the nooks and crannies.
And vacuum was applied for at least 15 minutes.

7. Core Honeycomb was placed on the data determined with CTTP (core position template).

8. Adhesive film was laid on the core and vacuum was applied for 5 minutes.

In the finalization process, it is the last process performed after the laying is completed. It is
covered with special heat-resistant vacuum bagging. It was glued with sealant in an airtight
manner and the ears were left on. The laid breather is laid in 2 layers on the pointed parts. 2
vacuum ports are attached. One of these vacuum ports is used for vacuum and the other is used
to provide gas evacuation in the autoclave. Fabric is placed under the vacuum ports to ensure
air flow. After vacuuming begins, the quality control specialist checks whether there is air in or
out with the barometer. The manual laying process is terminated with this final control. The
part is taken to the next department along with the work order.

Wet hand lay-up

It involves placing the dry fabric-shaped reinforcement material into the mold by hand and
applying liquid resin onto the open mold.

Basic Processing Steps

1. A release area is applied in the mold.

3. The resin is distributed evenly around the surface.

4.According to the work order, other fibers are placed in the same way at the desired angle and
layer.

5. In sandwich making, a balsa, foam or honeycomb core is placed on the laminate plate and
then adhesive is applied and the back laminate plate is applied to the core material, similar to
the way the first laminate plate is made.

6. Vacuuming operations are carried out as in the hand lay-up process.

7. The part is left at room temperature for very long hours and then cured in the oven.

2.Autoclave

As seen in the figure, the fan motor at the back transmits high or low temperature air from
under the capsule to the lid part. The air hitting the cover part breaks up and spreads
homogeneously into the capsule. The emitted air is vacuumed by the fan motor behind the
capsule and circulated. In this emission, the door side will heat up first, then the rest of the
capsule will heat up. Therefore, the arrangement and arrangement of the materials to be cured
in the capsule is important. If you need to evaluate for this capsule; For pieces whose cross-
section goes from thick to thin, they are placed with the thick part facing the door. Because thick
sections heat up slower than thin sections. The system is cooled with water.

The part produced in the clean room then comes to the Autoclave oven. Here, the curing
process is carried out and the engineering product to be produced is made ready for use. The
part leaving the clean room is placed appropriately in the Autoclave. Then, the curing process
begins by installing vacuum ports and thermocouples into the Autoclave. Pressure and
temperature values in Autoclave vary depending on the part to be produced. The temperature
or pressure values of the part inside the autoclave are controlled in the computer environment
via the attached thermocouple and vacuum ports. Pressure balance is first established for the
material entering the autoclave. So the Autoclave will try to adjust the pressure first. As the
temperature inside the autoclave begins to increase, the gases formed in the material are
expelled through valves (vacuum port).

First of all, when the material enters the Autoclave, the vacuuming process with -760mm/HG
(mercury) continues as in the clean room. Then, the pressure inside the Autoclave begins to
increase. When the pressure increases and reaches the determined level, the negative pressure
in the material is terminated. At the same time, the temperature inside the Autoclave will
increase. For this reason, reactions will occur in the material and as a result, gas will be formed
in the material. These gases are removed from the material through vacuum ports. If harmful
gases do not escape from the material, porosity formation is observed. When the appropriate
temperature and pressure for the material is reached, the material is waited for the specified
time to cure. These processes are controlled by three parts in Autoclave. The curing process is in
the form of heating, holding and cooling. In other words, it starts to lower the temperature and
the cooling process is done with water. Cooling time varies depending on material type and
size.

Demolding

Surface cleaning is done on the models. In the first stage, LATO coming out of the Autoclave is
cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. After the sealants are removed, taping is done around the mold.
The purpose of this is to prevent the sealants from sticking to the mold if there is no tape after
applying the separator. That's why tape is pulled around the mold. After the taping process is
completed, the separator is applied. The separator is applied in the same directions, that is, first
in the 0 ° direction and then in the 90 ° direction, so that it can be applied equally to all parts of
the surface. Then wait 15 minutes. This is the process, but for the first slats to be laid, this
process is repeated several times and then left to dry for 60 minutes. At the end of the waiting
period, labels are pasted on the latos stating that it is ready for use.

Preheating Oven

Some latos are preheated in this oven. If the reason is that the lath is cold, the laying process
may not be healthy. For this reason, the laths are placed in the preheating oven and heated at a
temperature of 50 ° C for 30 minutes to make them ready for laying. Curing of materials that do
not require pressure can also be done in this oven. In jobs that do not require pressure, a
preheating oven is used since Autoclave will be much more costly. Again, in this oven, as in the
Autoclave interface, there are slopes called temperature ramps, where the temperature rises or
falls, indicating that the curing temperature has been reached. But this system does not have a
cooling system like the Autoclave. Cooling is provided by opening the oven door.

3.CNC

2 operations are performed in the CNC department;

1. Core Honeycomb cut in action

2. Precision drilling is done on machined precision parts.

Part 1 ; Core Honeycomb Cutting;

At this stage, the core is cut with the desired CTTP either manually or by CNC. In manual
cutting, the Core honeycomb is fixed to the table. To avoid slipping, the surface of the paper
was covered with adhesive tape. With the help of CTTP, the 1*1 Core was cut exactly at the
template borders with a utility knife.

Part 2: Precision Drilling

4.Trimming

Here, the material is subjected to trimming process before painting after Autoclave. When
producing composite materials, they cannot be produced in their original size because they are
laid by hand. While EOP (end of part) lines on the mold are the original size of the material,
excess EOP is a line much further than the original size. Technicians carry out the laying process
according to excess EOP. The material for trimming is first wiped with a cloth dipped in MEK
(Methyl Ethyl Ketone or Butanone). Afterwards, if the material does not have RTSH, the edges
of the material are trimmed up to the EOP lines. This work is done by attaching a cutting tool to
the ends of air-powered machines, and then sanding is applied. Some materials have patterns
called RTSH. These molds are molds that show the original size of the material. Trimming can
be done more precisely with these molds. If the material has RTSH, the material is placed in the
RTSH mold and the areas that come out of the mold are trimmed.

5.Dye shop

The engineering product, which is produced and then completes the trimming and quality
control processes, arrives at the paint shop. Here, the material must be sanded before painting.
The sanded areas must then be wiped clean with MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone or Butanone). The
reason for sanding is to obtain a rough surface on the material. Because paints adhere better to
rough surfaces and provide adhesion. As can be seen in Figure 26, the reason why some parts of
the material are covered with tape is to prevent paint from getting on the taped parts during
painting. In this way, local areas will be painted more easily.

In another process, the paste process, paste is applied to the material surface. The purpose of
this process is to ensure that the paste closes the pores, allowing the paint to hold and the pores
to remain closed. The workpiece, which has been sanded, is sent to the paint booth. The
painting process varies depending on the material, but for some parts, 25-30 micron thick paint
is applied. The paint thickness of these materials is very important. Both cost and these
materials will be used in the aviation industry. If the paint is outside the tolerance values, it will
be a burden for the aircraft, so it goes through certain quality procedures after the painting
process. After the painting process, the material is sent to the drying cabinet. The engineered
product is dried by waiting for a certain period of time in a moisture-free environment of 60 - 70
°C.

Paint, Drying and Trim Cabinets

These cabins (painting, drying and trim) are controlled cabins. They are produced in accordance
with international quality standards. Accordingly, the materials to be processed are also subject
to international quality standards. Pressure, temperature and dust particles in the cabins are
constantly kept under control by a computer system. With this computer system, you can adjust
the pressure, temperature and dust particle values in the room. The powder particle system is
realized by water continuously flowing from the cabin bottom. A floor was created from
perforated sheets right above this system. During the painting process, pressure is applied
downwards from the ceiling, preventing dust from rising and trapping it in water and being
thrown out with the circulating water.

6.CMM Device and Measurement

This system, known as CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine), coordinate measuring system,
makes measurements according to the Cartesian coordinate. The probe head of the system,
which moves on the X, Y and Z axes, rotates 360 degrees on its own axis, offering versatile
measurement opportunities. With computer control, the head is automatically directed and a
point is automatically taken when it touches the part. Dimensional measurements are made by
creating geometries with the obtained points. Measurements can be made with or without CAD
data. When a measurement with CAD data is planned, this plan can be repeated automatically.
CMM machines have high precision in dimensional measurements. Measurements can be made
with precision of one micron or even less.

7.Test Room

Destructive Testing

In this section, some quality procedures are applied to samples that have the characteristics of
the material. We then reach a conclusion with the examination methods applied to determine
the resistance and strength of the material against permanent deformation changes.

Hot Press Test: As can be seen in Figure 31, the press is first waited until it reaches a certain
temperature. "Resin flow test" is performed by placing prepreg between the press that reaches
the test temperature. In the resin flow test, the prepreg (resin impregnated fabric) remaining
between the press is crushed at high temperature and the resin flow is measured. It is evaluated
according to rejection or acceptance criteria.

Dynamic Mechanical Analysis Test: This device measures the viscoelastic properties of the
sample as a function of frequency, time, temperature, deformation and environment. All
parameters are selected by the user to provide the desired information about the molecular
structure of the sample.

These tests are important in terms of quality control, but they are also costly. As a result
of the tests, the materials' strength, yield limit, elastic modulus, elongation at break, fracture
toughness, separation strength, interlayer strength, Poisson ratio, composite interlayer
toughness, etc. properties can be determined.
Tensile and Compression Test: This test is performed on materials such as core, adhesive film or
prepreg, which are widely used in the composite industry as well as steels. After these tests are
applied on the sample, they are compared with certain quality standards and evaluated.

8.Ultrosonic Measurement (Non-Destructive Testing)

The device used in this company is an ultrasonic inspection device. In principle, high-
frequency sound waves sent into the material are reflected if they hit an obstacle in the sound
path. Depending on the angle of impact, the reflected signal may or may not reach the receiving
probe. The reflected signal reaching the receiving probe creates an echo symptom on the screen
of the ultrasonic inspection device. Depending on the position of the echo, the coordinates of the
reflector within the examination piece can be calculated. Additionally, the height of the echo
gives an idea about the size of the reflector. It may be possible to make a comment about the
type of reflector by looking at the shape of the echo signal. It can be used to detect expected
volumetric errors and crack-type surface defects in metallic or non-metallic materials. High
frequency sound waves are produced by a piezoelectric crystal inside a piece called a probe.
The frequency range used in ultrasonic examination of metallic materials can be between 500
kHz and 10 MHz. The appropriate frequency is determined according to the microstructure
characteristics of the examination piece. When the probe is contacted to the inspection surface, a
suitable contact liquid (oil, grease, water, etc.) must be used so that sound waves can penetrate
into the material. By moving the probe (scanning) over the inspection surface, it is observed
whether there are echoes other than those arising from the part geometry, and if there are, the
positions and heights of these echoes are evaluated and error analysis is made. The most
commonly used wave types for ultrasonic inspection are longitudinal (pressure) and transverse
(shear) waves. When working with probes with a zero degree entry angle, called normal probes,
the waves traveling through the material are longitudinal waves. Angled probes, on the other
hand, send transverse waves into the material with an entry angle of generally 45°, 60° and 70°
(these values are for steel material).

9.Quality and Control

Last check

In this section, the barcodes, quality control stamps, and numbers on the work order are
compared with the work order number. If no error is observed, the process continues. One of
the most important stages is checking the cure date of the part. It is checked whether the part is
within its life span when it is taken out of the cabinet with the processing date. If no problem is
observed, a delivery note is prepared. Part company stocks are entered. Parts approved by the
customer company's quality control engineer after detailed examination are entered into the
customer system. It is sent to the sales department together with the work order to be packaged.

If there is an unapproved part, it is sent to the department responsible for the problem. If it is
an error that cannot be corrected, the part is thrown away for destruction. The waste parts are
sent to special waste incineration facilities because they contain carcinogens.
Sales

In this section, the materials approved by the customer quality control engineer were wrapped
with bubble wrap to prevent damage. Details of the numbers where the work order was
registered in the system were pasted on the part with tape. He set out to reach the customer
without damaging the boxes.

Definitions Used in the Industry

Breather: During vacuuming, it ensures that the air is transferred homogeneously from the
system to the vacuum ports and discharged. Otherwise, air bubbles will remain in the system
and the resin inside will direct towards the formed bubbles. N4 or N10 breather is used for this
company.

Peel Ply: It is laid on the material to obtain a rough surface and also to absorb excess resin
in the prepreg. The purpose of obtaining a rough surface is to ensure that the material retains
the paint during the painting process.

Overlap: If the prepreg is too small for the cutting bench in size, the prepregs are cut and laid on
the lath by overlapping each other.

Butt: In this process, prepregs are laid on the lath, not on top of each other as in the
overlap process, but side by side or with very little space left in between.

Prepreg: Resin impregnated fabric.

Fabric: Fabric that is not impregnated with resin.

LATO: Lay-up Tool, Work Pattern

EOP: The required size of the part to be produced from lato (End Of Part).

Ekses (Excess) EOP: The tolerance line following the required size of the part to be
produced from lato.

Figures:
Figure.1. clean room conditions

Figure.2. resin cabinet

Figure.4. laser marking before cutting

Figure.6. prepreg laying

Figure.8. a mold after unmolding

Figure.10. trimming manually Figure.11. CMM machine