DO’s & DON’T’s WHILE PROCESSING:

Material storage and thawing:

DO:
1. Wear all the PPE required for the respective zones while working.
2. Always provide required no.of persons or right lifting solutions to carry the goods
with recommended ergonomics to avoid work fatigue.
3. Ensure the goods arrived are free from damage.
4. Handle the goods with utmost care.
5. Place a acceptance label once the acceptance tests were cleared.
6. Place the SLE products in the temperature controlled areas .For instance,
prepregs and adhesives in cold storage and resin kitchen respectively.
7. Monitor the temperature of cold storage, If it found unsatisfactory or off limits,
do report to the respective zone leader.
8. Set a reminder for SLE of every products stored and caution before it expires.
9. Ensure prepreg roll is subjected to the thawing process in ante room for the
entire duration as mentioned in route card.
10. Ensure the project details, SLE is written above kit bag that matches with the
route card.
DON’T:
1. Compromise in the duration of thawing as it leads to high moisture absorption
from atmosphere.
2. Open the seal of kit bag and Roll.

Tool Preparation:
DO:
1. Start the work with required essentials available.
2. Ensure the tool acceptance sticker is in the tool before proceeding the work.
3. Clean the tool until its free from black residue or FOD.
4. Cleaning agent and Release agent should be used as mentioned in the process
document.
5. Apply the release agent with appropriate no.of coats and intervals by following
AOP or Process document.
6. Move to next operations after completion of route card.
7. Place the tool undisturbed and covered to avoid contamination from surrounding
after Tool preparation.
8. Move the tool with recommended lifters available.
9. Ensure the Cleaning agent and release agent are within the SLE.
10. Mask the sealant tape area before release agent application.
DON’T:
1. Allow the scratches or damages on the layup surface of the tool.
2. Compromise the no.of coats, intervals and drying time during release agent
application.
3. Proceed the next operations without QA’s concern.
4. Place the tools on the prepared mould.
5. Apply the release agent in the sealant tape area as it may leads to bagging failure.
Lectra Cutting and kitting:
DO:
1. Ensure the roll is completed its thawing, free from moisture and FOD before
loading in the feeder.
2. Verify the acceptance tag and SLE before opening the seal of the roll.
3. Check the material description in the roll as well as route card.
4. Equip the cutting blade which has wear within limits.
5. Mark the respective ply orientation and ply name above the protective film of the
prepreg as shown in monitor.
6. Check for any marks in prepreg roll, which may have defects in that marked
region.
7. Ensure the program description matches with the route card.
8. Feed the roll in which it’s material description matches with the program.
9. Always cross check and enter the prepreg roll width value while programming.
Since it may lead to error while cutting if it mismatch.
DON’T:
1. Feed the inappropriate roll which doesn't match with the program.
2. Try to touch the Lectra bed while its cutting.
3. Remove the prepreg protective film .
4. Fold the prepreg while kitting.

Core Preparation:
DO:
1. Ensure the core description matches with the route card.
2. Ensure the acceptance tag of core and templates are available before cutting.
3. Place the template matching the L-direction ( ribbon direction) of the core as well
as engraved above the template.
4. Ensure the core is optimally cut with less wastage.
5. Always use the dust collector to do away with dust accumulation .
6. Ensure the edges are chamfered with the angles are as per process document and
route card.
7. Clean the core in the cleaning tray using the recommended cleaning agent
mentioned in route card.
DON’T:
1. Store the core folded and in bare surface.
2. Compromise on drying time after cleaning.

Prepreg Layup:
DO:
1. Verify the CCA conditions such as Dust particle count, Relative Humidity,
Temperature,Pressure were found satisfactory before layup.
2. Ensure Tool Marking and rosette axis were marked on the mould for layup.
3. Always remove the unmarked side of the protective film of the prepreg during
layup.
4. Confirm if any small piece of Protective films present while taking off the
protective film from prepreg.
5. Verify the correct kit is laid up on correct mould.
6. Always bag the part with suitable no.of pleats given.
7. Provide breather/bleeder bed to place the vacuum ports.
8. Comb the sealant areas smoothly after vacuum application else it may puncture
the bag.
9. Read the drawings, Process documents thoroughly before the layup starts.
10. Use Hot air gun to increase drapability in complex contour areas.
11. Always use the positioning templates once cleaned and dried.
12. Position the thermocouples by touching within the part’s trimming allowance
area in such a way that the mark doesn't reflect after the part’s trimmed.
13. Always ensure that the control coupon panels for the respective part should
undergo the same atmosphere as the part. For instance, Control coupon panel
should be parallely laid up and No.of debulks carried out with same intervals as like
the part.
14. Provide Interconnection of hoses for vacuum application between part layup
mould and control coupon panel layup mould.
15. Fill the route card before laying the next layer.
DON’T:
1. Place the tools on the layup area of the mould.
2. Throw off the protective films in Bins, since the count confirms whether the
protective films stuck between the layers during layup.
3. Allow the stretching of prepreg and fibre damage in prepreg.
4. Allow the exposed prepreg without protective films while opening kit for layup .
5. Rely on tolerances during core positioning,and prepreg placement during layup.
6. Compromise in joint’s allowance which is intolerable in maintaining strength.
7. Compromise in no.of debulks and debulking duration.
8. Place vacuum ports on the layup area or disturbing part.
9. Revert the plies during layup.

Wet Layup :
DO:
1. Weigh and use the matrix and reinforcement that precisely matches the ratio.
2. Evenly spread the matrix using comb and also wetting all over the reinforcement
area.
3. Complete the layup before the gel time and pot time expires.
4. Make sure that the accelerators and resin are homogeneously blended with
respective ratios as mentioned in route card.
DON’T:
1. Overflow the matrix in one area alone.

Autoclave curing:
DO:
1. Ensure the bagged mould is sealed applied with vacuum until it is loaded in
autoclave.
2. Check the bag is leak free, tension free before it is loaded in autoclave.
3. Connect the vacuum ports, thermocouple ports in the autoclave ports and note
the numbers in route card.
4. Run the appropriate program matches with the route card.
5. Ensure the checklist for Autoclave operation is thoroughly verified before curing
starts.
6. Ensure no man,flammable items inside the autoclave.
7. Open the autoclave door once it reaches Room Temperature.
8. Monitor autoclave without leaving for a minute while in operation.
9. Release the entrapped air in the vacuum ports and use as it may lead to errors.
DON’T:
1. Cutoff vacuum and pressure in middle of the operation.
2. Try to open or close the control valves during operation.
3. Load the trolley manually.

Demoulding and Deflashing:

DO:
1. Use Glass Extraction Strips and wooden or nylon mallets to extract the part.
2. Remove the bag, vacuum ports and thermocouples with care.
DON’T:
1. Use air gun to clean the dust over the cloths.
2. Deflash the resin using rough emery (below 220 grit).
3. Place the tools above the part.
4. Create fibre damage over the surface while emerying.

Trimming:
DO:
1. Trim the part as per trimming line or trimming drawing and mostly within
tolerance.
2. Use suitable equipment /tools to trim the part.
3. Use vacuum dust collector to collect the dust while trimming.
DON’T:
1. Use blunt tools to trim the part as it may cause defects.

Bonding:
DO:
1. Produce roughness by either emerying or criss-crossing using the knife or both.
2. Mix homogeneously the mixture of adhesive and hardener (accelerator) in the
ratio mentioned in route card.
3. Apply bonding adhesive with a thin layer uniformly.
4. Clean the part after creating roughness.
5. Avoid redoing the bonding again.
6. Place the dead weights and clamps slowly without sliding.
7. Remove excess resin squeezed out from the edges.
DON’T:
1. Disturb the part once its is bonded.
2. Remove clamps and dead weights before curing completes.