The benefits of advanced optical metrology in rocket engine & systems inspection.

Digital Inspection and R&D Support for the Harsh Launch Environment

Precision, repeatable manufacturing is as essential to propulsion and launch systems as it is satellites and other spacecraft. But in the hostile launch environment, propulsion systems and their components are placed under extreme thermal, acoustic, and structural stress. ATOS provides the essential digital inspection required on the factory floor and pre-flight, while ARAMIS offers extensive capability in the R&D environment across thermal, vibration and deformation analysis.

3D scanning for additive-manufacturing

Many new propulsion systems, especially those employing smaller engines, include high numbers of additive manufactured parts, and even fully 3D-printed components. GOM products support additive manufacturing in launch systems, scaling up to the largest parts for engine components, and down to the smallest details. Again, efficient, rapid 3D scanning not only ensures quality, but also facilitates evolving, high-technology manufacturing processes.

Traditional challenges, advanced solutions

GOM is also ready to address the traditional challenges of rocket engine manufacturing, including weld inspection. The ATOS software includes a surface defect inspection tool perfectly suited to this critical task, but equally effective on carbon fiber components – among them composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) – and plumbing and additive manufactured parts.

Challenges for Propulsion & Launch Systems

The Solution

GOM’s systems are suitable for the measurement and analysis of bi-propellant high-thrust engines, monopropellant, and ion thrusters, in various sizes, including engine piping and other associated equipment, and mounted systems assembly. The ATOS ScanBox is ideal for final inspection of completed assemblies, while for larger engines and their systems, GOM’s manual scanners – ATOS 5 and ATOS Compact Scan – are used for troubleshooting as well as the inspection of pressure vessels, including fuel tanks.

ATOS ScanBox Series 6 + ATOS 5

In the production environment, it is important to identify, analyze and eliminate quality problems as fast as possible. For that, as many parts as possible have to be completely checked in the shortest amount of time to be able to initiate targeted corrective measures at short notice and to minimize scrap.

The ATOS ScanBox Series 6 machine is supplied with an industrial and high-precision 3D scanner of the ATOS series. With its powerful light source, the ATOS 5 sensor delivers high-precision data in a short measuring time. Combined with the extremely bright light source of the ATOS 5X, the models ATOS ScanBox 6135 and 6235 allow large measuring volumes and therefore an even higher throughput while maintaining a very high detail resolution.

ATOS Solutions Provide

For Manufacturing

Automated, operator-independent inspection
High resolution and high throughput metrology-grade measurements

For MRO

NDT (and non-contact) inspection
Building Digital Twin for smarter maintenance

For Research & Development

Design validation
Rapid turn around of evaluations

The Trusted Testing Solution, Turning Data into Profitable Insights

ARAMIS hardware & software

ARAMIS is GOM’s upgrade from strain gauges and displacement sensors; a stereoscopic 3D optical sensor capable of measuring 3D strains and displacements. GOM’s software suite can rapidly analyse test data for easy validation of structural simulations, providing a quicker process with less testing iterations.The results enable users to review and improve simulation parameters, as well as optimize current and future design processes. Therefore they can reduce the number of costly test runs and consequently speed up product development. At the same time, the results show insights into safety risks, part durability, as well as creep and aging processes. This increases not only the safety, but also the lifetime of products.