Carl Zeiss lightweights aerospace with precision metrology and digital image correlation

By Staff Report April 9, 2025 7:02 pm IST

Metallurgy and materials testing is critical in the aerospace industry, where lightweight design is directly tied to material selection. Ensuring aircraft safety and performance requires rigorous testing and validation, with simulation results guiding design decisions. K S Manoj, Head of Business Development, Industrial Quality Solutions at ZEISS India, highlights the significance of lightweight materials in aerospace and their impact on sustainability and decarbonisation.

Lightweighting remains a significant challenge in the aerospace industry’s efforts to achieve sustainability and decarbonisation. Efforts to reduce weight have been ongoing year after year, and Carl Zeiss is playing a key role in enabling these reductions.

The company employs various technologies to drive lightweight innovations, including shape analysis and metallurgical property assessments. These efforts align with global initiatives undertaken by countries and corporations to enhance efficiency and sustainability in aerospace.

Metallurgy and materials testing is critical in aerospace, as lightweight is closely tied to material properties. While reducing weight is crucial, we cannot ignore safety parameters. The objective is to manufacture aircraft as light as possible while ensuring they function as expected based on simulation results.

Carl Zeiss contributes to this process through digital image correlation technology, enabling the analysis of materials at multiple levels, ranging from small test samples (coupons) and subcomponents to full-scale aircraft. The company’s video correlation solutions support tensile, compression, and shear tests, along with structural assessments conducted with high precision.

Carl Zeiss provides quality assurance solutions supporting the aerospace, defence, and space exploration industries.

Metrology and efficient manufacturing

Carl Zeiss integrates new product developments with the shop floor’s efficient manufacturing and production processes. The company understands the market dynamics, where industries face increasing pressure to enhance efficiency, reduce carbon footprints, and maximise return on investment (ROI). With fragmented market trends and evolving complexities in additive and conventional manufacturing, Carl Zeiss combines various technologies with software-defined solutions to streamline production.

For instance, the company works with carbon fibre structures measuring three meters by four meters in large-area scanning. If a component’s shape or structural integrity requires inspection at its core, large-area scanning enables precision measurements down to 100 or 150 microns.

Dent analysis assesses wear rates in the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) industry. Portable scanners analyse surfaces, comparing current wear conditions with previous maintenance records to ensure accurate tracking of component degradation.

Indian companies have received global orders for cowls and engine covers, requiring 100% inspection. Advanced scanning solutions help meet this demand. Software-driven solutions eliminate the need for physical clamps, employing virtual clamping instead. The 3D full-field evaluation systems collect data from multiple machines, ensuring precise quality assessments.

Carl Zeiss has hardware and software solutions for aerospace companies. With the increasing demand for blade manufacturing in the aerospace and energy sectors, the company’s solutions cover the entire production process, including wax pattern creation, casting, machining, coating, and validation.

Surface finish is a critical factor in aerospace applications. Carl Zeiss employs X-ray inspection techniques to analyse small blades for porosity and cracks before they are deployed in flight operations.

CMMs for Precision Measurements

In conventional metrology, speed and accuracy have always posed challenges in aerospace manufacturing. High-speed measurements often come at the cost of precision, while high accuracy traditionally requires slow processing times.

Carl Zeiss has developed advanced Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) technologies for high-speed, high-precision measurements. While traditional CMMs operate at lower speeds to ensure accuracy, Carl Zeiss’ solutions complete precise measurements in 10 to 20 seconds. This accelerated scanning process reduces inspection times by up to 70%, significantly enhancing manufacturing efficiency.

Using a rotary table, entire blade profiles, including critical edge profiles, can be measured in a single sweep. Accuracy levels range between 1 and 2.5 microns, bridging the gap between manufacturing speed and metrology precision.

Carl Zeiss offers optical measurement technologies for those looking to optimise inspection efficiency. Traditional inspections, which typically require 45 minutes, can now be completed in just four minutes using these solutions. Additionally, software tools capture data from multiple processes, presenting insights through dashboard displays and allowing for real-time monitoring of components and workflows.

Growth of the Indian Aerospace Market

The Indian aerospace market is witnessing rapid growth. As commercial aircraft production rebounds globally, the demand for high-quality components has increased. With more aircraft entering production, the need for precision equipment and quality assurance solutions is rising accordingly.

India is also experiencing expansion in space exploration. Companies in Chennai and Hyderabad are leveraging additive manufacturing for technological advancements. The country has positioned itself as a global leader in satellite technology, demonstrating expertise in space missions and satellite launches. India’s progress in aerospace technology and manufacturing strengthens its standing as a key player in the global market, and Carl Zeiss is poised to help India rise in this sector.