ELEMENTS AND MECHANISMS FOR APPLYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO COMPOSITES FABRICATION

摘要

The composites industry will soon be in a position to apply artificial intelligence (AI) in ways that will accelerate manufacturing and inspection processes, and also will enable rapid process and quality improvement throughout the product lifecycle. AI-enabled technology has broad-ranging applications within composites, from a specific manufacturing process to an enterprise-wide Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) program. In a developmental AI application in 2018, a convolutional neural network (CNN) successfully generated an analysis algorithm for an automatic inspection system to detect foreign objects and debris (FOD) on critical component surfaces. This AI application will eventually replace painstaking hand-engineering of algorithms. Its success highlights not only what AI might contribute to composites fabrication, but also how AI-enabled fabrication technology might be developed. For example, the CNN trial has uncovered an immediate need for large quantities of raw data and images, which are the necessary “raw materials” of AI application development. Other needed elements and advancements will be discussed. AI development as applied to composites lends itself to incremental implementation, with benefits being realized with each increment. Both near-term and long-term benefits will be described.