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DETA SCOPE - CPMS

Cure Performance Monitoring System (CPMS): the intelligent way to optimise and assure quality of the processing of composites

The flagship of ADVISE-DETA in the area of dielectric cure monitoring is the industrial sensing platform called Cure Performance Monitoring System (CPMS). DETA SCOPE has been developed as the laboratory hardware and software system for dielectric cure monitoring and a new industrial version has emerged. CPMS performs intelligent process monitoring of the manufacturing of composite structures and has found application already to autoclave, RTM and pultrusion processing.

CPMS has been designed and implemented for a wide range of processing conditions: from standard (up to 200^oC and 80 bar) to high temperature (up to 400^oC and 20 bar) and for multi-channel sensing (up to 8 channels). The sensors are robust with industrial connectors and they incorporate dielectric sensing element and thermocouple. The sensor mounting to the process tooling has been optimised to withstand the relevant processing conditions.

The real-time output of CPMS to the supervisory process control of the manufacturing process (i.e. autoclave, oven or RTM system control platform) consists of the actual resin properties at the location of the sensors. The relevant resin properties are:

Viscosity
Degree of cure
Glass transition temperature (T_g)

The measurement hardware of the CPMS is compacted in an enclosure which is typically placed in the control cabinet of process equipment. The enclosure hosts a mini-computer which runs in continuous mode the DETA SCOPE, the software of the CPMS. The technological superiority of the DETA SCOPE is expressed by its autonomous operation as a service to the SCADA software of the manufacturing process. The SCADA software is instructed to interact with DETA SCOPE to receive the material properties in real time and utilise this knowledge appropriately for control purposes. The unique features of the DETA SCOPE include: