Scarfed repair surfaces are time consuming to prepare and often consistency depends on the skill of the repair technician, Dark Matter Composites explains. Step sanded repair surfaces are even more time consuming and difficult but offer the best structural repair solution.
Dark Matter Composites' Step Sanding Tool Kit is said to allow step sanded repair surfaces to be prepared in less time than scarf surfaces, typically 50-75% faster.
The tool kit consists of a modified Dynabrade air router combined with diamond surface planing heads and flexible jigs that can produce step sanded repair surfaces on parts with double curvature. The kit can accommodate repair areas up to 1220 mm (48”) in diameter, in step increments as low as 1 mm (1/16”) and depth increments of 0.05 mm (0.002”), allowing consistent step sanded repair surfaces to be produced with significant time saving.
All jigs are laser engraved with metric and imperial scales for both radii and diameters. The jigs can also be used to prepare repair materials.
A range of diamond planing heads allow removal of a range of composite materials from course to fine, including gel-coats, hand laid chopped strand mats, woven prepreg fabrics, unidirectional, stitched and veil fabrics.
The kit has been designed to be used cross sector, including civil, marine and automotive, through to aerospace repairs.
When the equipment is paired with a suitable dust extraction unit, the on-tool extraction is highly effective at removing the dust generated at point of source, eliminating the need for containment curtains and dust masks.
