Conclusion

Due to the highly anisotropic and heterogeneous nature of composite materials, the phenomenon of material removal remains an open and highly complex problem. This complexity is even greater when it comes to drilling multi-materials. This chapter has shown that the coatings and tool geometries available on the market cannot meet the aerospace industry's expectations for automated drilling. This expectation is even less satisfied if machining quality with low average roughness values and the generation of fragmented metal chips is required.

For automated drilling, we presented the OPERA system developed by Latécoère Service (LATECIS). Other systems are also available, such as the Automated Drilling Units (UPA) commonly used on Airbus assembly lines, or the drilling robots which can provide automated machining, and which are used at Latécoère for the assembly of Boeing...