Honeycomb potting of sandwich panels

In the aerospace industry, the interiors of aircraft are made of honeycomb panels, sandwich panels with a honeycomb core. These types of honeycomb panels are predominantly used in toilet walls, side panels, kitchen structures and floor panels inside the aircraft.

In the manufacturing process, so-called prepregs (pre-impregnated glass fibre semi-finished products) are laminated onto a honeycomb, which results in lightweight structures with low weight and high stability. Since honeycomb panels are further processed, i.e. cut to size or fitted with inserts for mounting cabin components, the honeycomb structure requires a high degree of stability. The honeycomb cores are therefore filled with low-density materials.

As a rule, these materials are still applied manually and by hand, requiring a vast amount of time and materials. The DOPAG metering system coredis enables the honeycomb cores to be filled automatically by means of a robot and gantry system. All honeycomb cores are filled reliably and homogeneously, saving considerable quantities of material compared to manual application. This means that open edges of the panels can be sufficiently protected against environmental influences. In order to prevent damage to the sensitive structures, DOPAG uses special gear pumps designed for this purpose to convey the material. This development is based on decades of experience and a successful working relationship with the aerospace industry.

The components are firmly fastened together in the aircraft later or, for example, toilet fittings and other elements are firmly glued to them by means of insert potting.