Facility and method for pairing a shield to a preform for the production of an aircraft turbine engine vane

1 . A pairing facility for pairing a metal shield on a leading edge of a composite material preform for manufacturing an aircraft turbine engine vane, said facility comprising:

a support configured to receive and hold the metal shield,

a movement hexapod which carries said support and which is able to move the support along and around three axes of an XYZ coordinate system,

an automaton comprising jaws configured to receive and hold the preform, and

a computing unit for controlling the hexapod and the automaton with a view to producing the pairing.

2 . The facility according to claim 1 , wherein the movement hexapod comprises a base and a plate situated at a distance from the base and intended to receive said support, the plate and the base being connected to each other by at least three pairs of cylinders, the plate comprising at least three first points regularly distributed around an axis which are connected to first ends of the cylinders, and the base comprising six second points about the axis which are connected to second ends of the cylinders.

3 . The facility according to claim 2 , wherein the base is horizontal and the plate is located above the base.

4 . The facility according to claim 1 , wherein said support comprises a platform comprising a lower end attached to the hexapod and an upper end comprising a recess for receiving and holding the metal shield.

5 . The facility according to claim 1 , wherein it also comprises at least one heating element carried by the automaton.

6 . The facility according to claim 1 , wherein the automaton comprises a gantry or a cabin at the center of which said movement hexapod is located.

7 . The facility according to claim 1 , wherein said facility further comprises a tool for contactless measurement of a dimension of a clearance left free between the leading edge of the preform and the shield after pairing.

8 . A method for pairing a metal shield on a leading edge of a composite material preform for manufacturing an aircraft turbine engine vane, by means of a facility according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the steps of:

a) positioning the metal shield on the support, this metal shield having the general shape of a dihedron and comprising two wings connected together and defining a space between them, the shield being held on the support so that said space is oriented upwards,

b) gripping the preform by the jaws of the automaton, and

c) pairing the shield on the preform so that a leading edge of the preform is engaged in said space.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , comprising, between steps a) and b), a step of:

i) attaching one end of the preform to an arm secured to the support, so that the preform extends close to the shield.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , comprising, between steps i) and b), a step of:

j) positioning the support on the hexapod.

11 . The method according to claim 8 , comprising, before step c), a step of:

k) applying an adhesive to the leading edge of the preform and/or to the shield.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , comprising, after step k), a step of:

l) heating the adhesive.

13 . The method according to claim 8 , comprising, after step c), a step of:

d) checking the pairing by measuring, at one end of the preform, a dimension of a clearance left free between the leading edge of the preform and the shield.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein step d) is carried out by a contactless measurement.

15 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein step d) is carried out by an optical measurement.