Composite Thermoforming Defect Identity Cards: Cause, Prevention, Detection, Significance, and Progression

acm7 Tracking Number 23

Thermoforming of composite materials is a key process in automated manufacturing, valued for its ability to rapidly produce net-shape and contoured components. Despite these advantages, effective management of defects remains a critical challenge. Knowledge regarding these defects is often fragmented, existing in discipline-specific silos that hinder a holistic understanding across the design-to-inspection lifecycle. This research addresses this need by developing defect identity cards to consolidate multi-disciplinary knowledge into a unified and accessible format. To achieve this, a viewpoint modeling methodology was employed to systematically capture and structure information from the distinct perspectives of manufacturing engineers, process planners, design analysts, inspection professionals, and maintenance technicians. The knowledge base was synthesized from a comprehensive literature review, supplemented by practical laboratory experience and consultation with industry experts. The primary result is a foundational set of defect identity cards for common composite thermoforming defects. Each card serves as a single source of truth, detailing a defect's (1) fundamental causes, (2) strategies for its prevention, (3) key indicators for its detection, (4) engineering significance, and (5) potential for progression in service. This research establishes a practical methodology for classifying and communicating critical defect information by creating the first comprehensive set of defect identity cards for composite thermoforming, providing the structured understanding necessary to bridge communication gaps, enhance training, and advance right-first-time manufacturing strategies.