Needling system for producing fiber preforms

Abstract

A needling system 100 for producing a fiber preform, comprising a needling head 110, a robot arm 120 movable with several degrees of freedom, configured to carry the needling head and move the needling head according to a predetermined trajectory and direction, a fiber piece supplying device 130 attached to the needling head, configured to deposit a fiber piece on a support and cut the fiber piece, and a monitoring unit 140 configured to control the operation of the robot arm, the needling head and the deposition of the fiber piece according to a predetermined program for producing a fiber preform.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the manufacture of fiber preforms by needling, and more particularly to a needling system for the manufacture of fiber preforms. [Background technology]

[0002] The fiber preform forms the reinforcement of the organic or ceramic matrix composite material. It forms the skeleton for the material that absorbs most of the mechanical forces, this skeleton being reinforced and protected by the organic or ceramic matrix of the composite material.

[0003] The production of a fiber preform by needling consists of superimposing textile plies and connecting them to one another by needling, in particular by transferring the fibres from one ply to another in the Z direction, i.e. along the thickness of the preform, thus creating a mechanical connection between them in this direction.

[0004] Therefore, current needling systems can produce axisymmetric preforms whose geometry is a through-hole geometry. Current needling tools are programmed to follow specific trajectories to needle the preform according to certain criteria, such as the density of the Z fibers. Current programs are specific to the machine used and cannot be used interchangeably. Furthermore, current programs can follow axisymmetric profiles based on adaptive modes, which allows the machine position to be corrected as a function of the excess thickness encountered during needling.

[0005] However, some preforms, such as atmospheric re-entry thermal protection preforms, can have a spherical cap shape (non-piercing shape) or a non-axisymmetric shape, and current needling means are not adapted to this type of shape.

[0006] It is therefore desirable to have a new, more versatile needling system that allows for needling preforms whose geometry is non-axisymmetric and / or non-through, or whose geometry is axisymmetric or non-axisymmetric, through or through, and that is capable of needling fiber pieces without trajectory restrictions, whose trajectory is fully parameterizable.

[0007] It would also be desirable to have a new solution for programming needling means that can be used on several needling machines and that can accommodate any type of preform geometry, including non-axisymmetric and non-through geometries. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention provides a needling system for making a fiber preform, comprising: This needling system is A needling head, a robotic arm movable with several degrees of freedom, the robotic arm configured to carry a needling head and move the needling head according to a predetermined trajectory and direction; a fiber piece feeder attached to the needling head, the fiber piece feeder configured to deposit the fiber pieces onto a support and cut the fiber pieces; and a monitoring unit configured to control the operation of a robot arm, the needling head, and the deposition of the fiber pieces according to a predetermined program for producing the fiber preform.

[0009] The present invention proposes a modular needling head, allowing for complex preform geometries to be accommodated by a robotic arm. The needling system of the present invention therefore makes it possible to manufacture preforms with non-through or non-axisymmetric shapes, such as spherical caps. The needling system of the present invention also makes it possible to parameterize custom fiber piece trajectories without trajectory restrictions.

[0010] Furthermore, the presence of a fiber piece feeder on the needling head makes it possible to envision the deposition and needling of fiber pieces onto previously deposited pieces in a single system. This allows the deposition of fiber pieces with thin or thick thicknesses and in various orientations, and also allows the automation of fiber piece placement by a robotic arm and monitoring unit. This also allows for the absence of fixed attachments between pieces or other elements that could contaminate the pieces forming the preform and disrupt the fiber / matrix connection during densification of the needled preform. This is because the pieces are held together between needlings by the partial lateral transfer of fibers coming from the deposited pieces. In other words, in the case of the present invention, it is the mechanical bonding of the fiber pieces, not chemical bonding, that differentiates from prior art methods that allow the deposition and retention of fiber pieces and / or yarns (such as Automatic Tape Laying (ATL) and Automatic Fiber Placement (AFP) technologies).

[0011] According to one particular feature of the invention, the fiber piece supplying device comprises an adjustment system, for example a braking system, configured to adjust the tension of the fiber piece when it is placed on the support according to a predetermined instruction or according to one particular point of the trajectory.

[0012] According to another particular feature of the invention, the fiber piece feeder comprises a system for guiding the fiber pieces.

[0013] According to another particular feature of the invention, the fiber piece guiding system comprises a deflecting roller that is adjustable according to at least one spherical three-dimensional reference frame.

[0014] According to another particular feature of the invention, the fiber piece feeder comprises an adjustment system in the lateral position.

[0015] This allows for more accurate guiding of the pieces and placement of the pieces on the support, which can be particularly useful when spooling is performed, as shown in Figure 3, by allowing slight translation of the pieces to compensate for misalignment that may occur during deposition.

[0016] Another object of the invention relates to a method for producing a fiber preform by needling carried out by a needling system according to the invention on a support tool whose shape corresponds to the shape of the fiber preform to be produced, the method comprising depositing and needling fiber pieces on the support tool.

[0017] This method allows for the fiber pieces to be directly needled into the shape of the final preform.

[0018] According to one particular feature of the invention, the support tool has a non-axisymmetric and / or non-through shape.

[0019] This makes it possible to produce preforms with complex shapes.

[0020] According to another particular feature of the invention, the fiber pieces are deposited on a support tool and needled without trajectory restrictions.

[0021] According to another particular feature of the invention, the needling head forms an angle between -85° and 85° with respect to a direction perpendicular to the tangent plane of the support tool during all or part of the deposition and needling of the fiber pieces.

[0022] This allows the fibers to be transported during needling in a direction that is perpendicular or not to the tangent of the preform, i.e., the tangent of the supporting tool. The fact that they are not limited to the perpendicular direction allows the fibers to be transported in multiple directions to optimize the thermomechanical properties and wear resistance of the final fiber preform according to the intended application of the part containing this preform.

[0023] The present invention also provides a method for determining a program of displacement and direction of a needling head for producing a fiber preform by needling a fiber piece on a support tool, the method comprising: The method comprises: determining a set of three coordinates of a pass point of the needling head as a function of the position of the fiber along the Z axis in the fiber preform to be produced, its local shape, and a predetermined minimum distance to be met between the needling head and the support tool or the fiber preform, so as to be able to avoid collisions with the support tool or the fiber preform; and determining (420) the angular orientation (α, β, γ) of the needling head for each pass point as a function of the angular orientation of the fiber pieces and Z fibers in the fiber preform to be made.

[0024] According to the method of the present invention, the pass point and the direction of the needling head are determined before the needling starts, taking into account the complexity of the geometry of the preform to be produced and the density and direction of the Z-fibers, while ensuring that the support tool and the preform do not collide with the needling head. Therefore, the program is not linked to a specific machine, but can be adapted to any machine and any desired preform geometry. This therefore allows for versatile production of fiber preforms by needling according to the needs and desired thermo-structural properties, such as, for example, the density and direction of the Z-fibers.

[0025] Furthermore, the number of pass points is adapted to reduce calculation time and the program itself by taking into account the complexity of the geometry of the preform to be produced: for example, if a region has a small local radius of curvature, the number of pass points will be greater in this region than in another region with a larger radius of curvature.

[0026] The determination of the three coordinates of the pass point of the needling head and the angular orientation of the head can result from one or several calculations, or several parameters (coordinates or angles) can be predetermined.

[0027] The determination of the three coordinates of the pass point of the needling head can also be performed as a function of the width of the fiber pieces and their possible overlap.

[0028] The angular orientation of the needling head can be determined relative to a normal to the local geometry.

[0029] According to one particular feature of the invention, the support tool is rotating about a rotation axis, and the method comprises a mathematical projection of the determined pass-through point on a reference plane that is fixed or movable relative to the support tool and that includes the rotation axis of the support tool.

[0030] This allows the three coordinates (x, y, z) to be converted into polar coordinates (r, θ, z), and therefore makes it easier to implement the coordinates of the pass-point of the needling head in the needling machine.

[0031] According to another particular feature of the invention, the method further comprises determining the local displacement speed of the needling head as a function of the Z fiber content in the relevant region of the preform to be made and the rotation of the support tool.

[0032] This allows adapting the needling density as a function of the preform geometry, thus increasing, decreasing or keeping this density constant according to the local geometric features of the preform.

[0033] According to another particular feature of the invention, the method further comprises creating a mesh of the geometric shape of the fiber preform to be created, and all determinations of the three coordinates (x, y, z) are made with respect to this mesh.

[0034] This mesh allows a more accurate mathematical use of the preform geometry and then applies all the operations that determine the pass points and angular orientation of the needling head, but also allows the number of pass points to be discretized as a function of the geometric complexity of the preform to be made.

[0035] According to another particular feature of the invention, the support tool has a non-axisymmetric and / or non-through shape.

[0036] This allows fiber preforms with complex geometric shapes to be produced.

[0037] Another object of the invention is a method for producing a fiber preform by needling, comprising determining a program of displacements and directions of a needling head according to the invention, and using the needling head programmed according to the determined program to produce by needling a fiber preform on a support tool whose shape corresponds to the shape of the fiber preform to be produced.

[0038] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description given below, with reference to the attached drawings, which show exemplary, non-limiting embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows, schematically and partially, a needling system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 partially depicts a deposition and needling head according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows, in a schematic and partial view, the needling head of FIG. 2, in particular the orientation of the needles relative to the deposited debris. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of a method for determining a needling head displacement and orientation program, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A shows, in a simplified manner, part of step 409 of the method described in FIG. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B illustrates, in part, step 410 of the method described in FIG. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C illustrates, in part, step 420 of the method described in FIG. [Figure 5D] FIG. 5D illustrates, in part and in schematic form, step 421 of the method described in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart of a method for producing a fiber preform by needling, according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] FIG. 1 shows, in schematic and partial form, a needling system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention for making a fiber preform.

[0041] The system 100 comprises a needling head 110 having a fiber piece feeder 130 attached thereto, a robotic arm 120 movable with several degrees of freedom and carrying the needling head 110, and a monitoring unit 140.

[0042] The robotic arm 120 is configured to move the needling head 110 according to a predetermined trajectory and direction.

[0043] The feeder 130 is configured to deposit the fiber pieces onto a support and to cut the deposited fiber pieces.

[0044] The monitoring unit 140 is configured to control the operation of the robot arm 120, the needling head 110, and the deposition of fiber pieces according to a predetermined program for producing a fiber preform.

[0045] Figure 2 partially depicts a needling head 210 carrying a fiber piece 233 feeder 230 according to one embodiment of the present invention during the production of a fiber preform, in particular during the deposition and needling of fiber pieces 234 on a support tool 250. Figure 3 depicts a schematic diagram of Figure 2, in particular the orientation of the needles of the needling head relative to the deposited pieces, and the reference numbers used for these two figures represent the same.

[0046] The fiber piece 233 supply device 230 includes a cassette support 232 and a cassette 231 that accommodates the fiber pieces 233 and is disposed on the cassette support 232. The cassette 231 has a width that substantially corresponds to the width of the fiber pieces 233 wound on the cassette 231.

[0047] The fiber piece 233 may be a piece or sheet of yarn, such as a thread or set of threads, a fabric, a multidirectional nonwoven (or non-crimp fabric, NCF), a braid, or a nonwoven web, whose properties make it useful as fiber reinforcement in a preform that constitutes a composite material.

[0048] The needling head 210 comprises a plurality of needles 211 mounted on a needle plate, which make it possible to needle a fiber piece 234 that has just been deposited on a support tool 250. This fiber piece 234 is thus needled with a fiber piece 235 that has been previously deposited in order to produce a fiber preform. To obtain the desired geometric shape, the deposition and needling are carried out on a support tool 250 having a shape that corresponds to the shape of the preform to be produced. Thus, to produce a non-axisymmetric preform, the support tool 250 has a non-axisymmetric shape. Furthermore, the support tool 250 is movable in rotation about an axis, for example, to facilitate the movement of the robot arm and the needling head 210.

[0049] The needling head 210 also includes a stripper 212 having a plate with a plurality of perforations. The plate has an inner and an outer surface, and the outer surface of the plate is located on the side of the support tool 250. A needle plate faces the inner surface of the stripper, and the needles 211 are aligned with the perforations present on the plate of the stripper 212. During needling of the fiber pieces 234, the needles 211 alternately move from a retracted position in which the needles 211 do not protrude from the outer surface of the plate of the stripper 212 to an extended position in which the needles 211 protrude from the outer surface of the plate to penetrate the fiber pieces 234. A fiber piece 233 supply device 230 is fixed to the needling head 210 in a direction transverse to the perforated plate of the stripper 212 that is intended to be traversed by the needles 211.

[0050] The fiber piece 233 feeder 230 may be equipped with a fiber piece guiding system 270 and / or a braking system that allows adjusting the tension of the pieces 234 during deposition of the fiber pieces 233. The guiding system 270 may be fixed to the surface of the stripper 212 or on the needling head 210, ideally as close as possible to the surface of the stripper 210 that carries the feeder 230.

[0051] Furthermore, the fiber piece guiding system can be provided with deflecting rollers 271 that are adjustable according to a three-dimensional reference frame, in particular a spherical reference frame. These rollers 271 are adjustable, for example, in translation along the width direction of the pieces 234 and in rotation along two axes, so that the angle of the pieces 234 relative to the support tool 250 can be adjusted. These deflecting rollers 271 make it possible to guide the pieces 234 from the cassette 231 onto the deposition surface of the support tool 250. The width of these rollers 271 can be adapted to the width of the pieces 234.

[0052] Whatever the embodiment, the fiber piece feeder may be configured to store fiber pieces with a width between 5 mm and 500 mm, preferably between 5 mm and 200 mm.

[0053] Whatever the embodiment, the needling head can be configured for different throat plate widths (support carrying the needles) and / or different stripper widths, for example to be able to needle fiber pieces with widths between 5 mm and 500 mm, preferably between 5 mm and 200 mm. The throat plate and stripper can also be removable from the needling head in order to adapt them to the geometry of the preform to be made and / or the width of the fiber pieces to be needled.

[0054] Whatever the embodiment, the needling head, and in particular the needles, form a variable angle α (shown in FIG. 3 ) with respect to an axis 270 perpendicular to the tangent plane 260 of the support tool 250 during all or part of the deposition and needling of the fiber pieces, e.g., between −85° and 85°, preferably between −30° and 30°. More generally, the needling head is adjustable along all directions about this perpendicular axis 270. This allows the fiber pieces to be needled in different directions, for example, obliquely or at an angle, to transfer the fibers in a specific direction and to impart certain thermomechanical and / or wear-resistant properties to the final part.

[0055] Whatever the embodiment, the needling head can be programmed by a robotic arm to move and orient itself around the support tool for depositing and needling fiber pieces, and thus the displacement and orientation program of the needling head comprises the pass-through points and angular orientation of the needling head around the support tool.

[0056] To avoid damaging the preform, the pass points can be determined as a function of the position of the Z fibers in the fiber preform to be produced, as a function of the local radius of curvature of the fiber preform, and as a function of the minimum distance that must be met between the needling head and the supporting tool or preform. The angular orientation of the needling head can be determined for each pass point as a function of the angular orientation of the Z fibers in the preform to be produced.

[0057] Furthermore, to facilitate programming of the needling head, and in cases where the support tool rotates on its own, the way-points can be expressed as the distance between the needling head and the support tool. To do so, it is possible to project the way-points onto a reference plane fixed relative to the support tool, and thus to program the head according to the distance between the needling head and the support tool.

[0058] Whatever the embodiment, it is also possible to drive the pressure of the stripper by servo control, in particular the stripper can exert pressure on the strip to hold it in a predetermined position when the needle exits.

[0059] Whatever the embodiment, it is also possible to drive the needling head by servo control as a function of the stripper pressure and / or as a function of the stripper position if the stripper is floating and / or as a function of the needle position.

[0060] It is also possible to servo-drive the robot position as a function of the stripper pressure and / or as a function of the stripper position if the stripper is floating and / or as a function of the needle position.

[0061] It is also possible to servo-drive the position of the support as a function of the stripper pressure and / or as a function of the stripper position if the stripper is floating and / or as a function of the needle position.

[0062] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a method 400 for determining a needling head displacement and orientation program according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figures 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D show different steps of this same method, and the method will therefore be described with reference to Figures 4, 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D.

[0063] The method 400 is a method for determining a displacement and orientation program for a needling head 530 to create a fiber preform 500 by needling a fiber piece on a support tool 505. The method 400 comprises determining 410 a set of three coordinates (x, y, z): (x1, y1, z1), (x2, y2, z2), (x3, y3, z3) of pass points 520, 521, 522, 523 of the needling head 530. For clarity, only a few points are visible in the figure, but the number of pass points is not limited to these four points. Furthermore, the positions of these points visible in FIG. 5B do not imply that point 520 (or point 522) is determined first before point 521 (or point 523). In general, the order of determining the different pass points of the head follows the unwinding and needling of the fiber piece on the support tool.

[0064] The passing points 521, 522, 523 are a function of the position of the fibers along the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, in particular the position of the fibers along the Z-axis in the fiber preform 500 to be made, as well as a function of the local geometry of the preform 500, e.g. its local radius of curvature, and as well as a minimum distance d minThis shortest distance d min is the distance that can avoid collision between the needling head 530 and the preform 500 to be made or the support tool 505. min is predetermined by the user. This step 410 is shown in Figure 5B.

[0065] The number of pass points 520, 521, 522, 523 may depend on the complexity of the preform 500 to be made. For example, if the preform has a complex shape (e.g., a non-axisymmetric shape), the number of pass points will generally be greater than the number of pass points for a preform with a simple shape (e.g., an axisymmetric shape).

[0066] Next, the method 400 comprises a step 420 of determining an angular orientation of the needling head 530 relative to each pass-point 520, 521, 522, 523 determined in step 410 as a function of the angular orientation of the Z fibers in the fiber preform 500 to be produced. This step 420 is illustrated in FIG. 5C . In this step 420, for example, an angle α formed between the needling head 530 and the Z axis of the pass-point 520 and / or an angle β formed between the needling head 530 and the X axis of the pass-point 520 is determined. More specifically, in the example of determining the angle α, the angle α is formed between the Z axis and the direction of the head, which corresponds to the Z fiber direction 560 relative to this pass-point 520.

[0067] The method 400 may also comprise a step 409 of creating a mesh 510 of the geometry of the fiber preform 500 to be created. A determination 410 of all three coordinates (x, y, z) of the pass-points is then performed for this mesh 510. This step 409 is illustrated in Figure 5A. This simplifies the geometry of the preform 500, making it possible to more easily determine the pass-points 520.

[0068] When the support tool 505 rotates about the rotation axis 580, the method 400 may also include a step 421 of projecting the pass-through point 520 determined in step 410 into a reference plane 540, which may be fixed or movable relative to the support tool 505 and may comprise the rotation axis 580 of the support tool 505. The reference plane 540 may be, for example, a plane (YZ), a plane (XY), or a plane (λ). This allows the polar coordinates (r, θ, z) of the pass-through point 520 to be determined. This step 421 is shown in FIG. 5D.

[0069] The method 400 may also comprise determining the local displacement speed of the needling head 530 as a function of the possible displacement of the support tool 505 and as a function of the Z-fiber content in the relevant region of the preform 500 to be produced. For example, if the support tool 505 is rotating during needling, it may be interesting to vary the displacement speed of the needling head 530 between the pass points 520 along the radius of curvature of the geometry of the preform 500 to be produced in order to best adapt the Z-fiber content according to this radius of curvature.

[0070] FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of a method 600 for manufacturing a fiber preform by needling, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] The method 600 first comprises determining 610 a program for the displacement and orientation of a needling head according to the invention, for example according to the method described above, and then producing 620 a fiber preform by needling on a support tool. The support tool has the same shape as the inner surface of the preform to be made. The needling is carried out using a needling head programmed according to the program determined in step 601.

[0072] The needle system used in the production is e.g. a needling head programmed according to the determined program; a robotic arm movable in several degrees of freedom, the robotic arm carrying a needling head and configured to move the needling head according to a trajectory and direction predetermined in a displacement and direction program; a fiber piece feeder mounted on the needling head and configured to deposit the fiber pieces onto a support tool and cut the fiber pieces; The robot arm includes a monitoring unit configured to control the operation of the needling head and the deposition of said fiber pieces according to a program of displacement and direction of the needling head.

[0073] The support tooling used to program the displacement and orientation of the needling head and to produce the fiber preforms can have non-axisymmetric and / or non-penetrating shapes, which can produce non-axisymmetric and / or non-penetrating shaped preforms, for example, that can form atmospheric re-entry thermal protection preforms.

[0074] The support tool may also rotate in both directions about a rotation axis during needling to facilitate displacement of the robot arm. In this case, the monitoring unit may drive the rotation of the support tool. For example, the monitoring unit may control the rotation axis and / or the rotation speed of the support tool.

[0075] The expression "comprised between... and..." must be understood to be inclusive. The present disclosure also includes the following inventions. The first aspect is A needling system (100) for making a fiber preform, comprising: The needling system (100) comprises: Needling head (110, 210) and a robotic arm (120) movable with several degrees of freedom, the robotic arm (120) configured to carry the needling head and move the needling head according to a predetermined trajectory and direction; a fiber piece (233) feeder (130, 230) attached to the needling head, the fiber piece (233) feeder (130, 230) configured to deposit fiber pieces onto a support (250) and cut the fiber pieces; and a monitoring unit (140) configured to control the operation of the robot arm, the needling head, and the deposition of the fiber pieces according to a predetermined program for producing a fiber preform. The second aspect is A needling system in a first aspect, wherein the fiber piece supplying device comprises an adjustment system configured to adjust the tension of the fiber piece when the fiber piece is placed on the support according to a given instruction or according to one specific point of the trajectory. The third aspect is The needling system according to the first or second aspect, wherein the fiber piece supplying device comprises a system (270) for guiding the fiber pieces. The fourth aspect is A needling system according to a third aspect, wherein the guiding system comprises a deflecting roller (271) adjustable according to at least one spherical three-dimensional reference frame. The fifth aspect is The needling system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the fiber piece supplying device comprises an adjustment system in a lateral position. The sixth aspect is A method for producing a fiber preform by needling, which is carried out by the needling system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, on a support tool (250) whose shape corresponds to the shape of the fiber preform to be produced, The method comprises depositing and needling fiber pieces on the support tool. A seventh aspect is A method according to a sixth aspect, wherein the support tool has a non-axisymmetric shape and / or a non-through shape. The eighth aspect is The method of the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein the fiber pieces are deposited and needled on the support tool without trajectory constraints. A ninth aspect is A method according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, wherein the needling head forms an angle (α) between −85° and 85° with respect to a direction perpendicular to a tangent plane (260) of the support tool during all or part of the deposition and needling of the fiber pieces. A tenth aspect is 1. A method (400) for determining a program of displacement and direction of a needling head (530) for producing a fiber preform (500) by needling a fiber piece on a support tool (505), comprising: The method (400) comprises: The position of the fibers along the Z axis in the fiber preform (500) to be produced, their local shape, and a predetermined minimum distance (d) to be met between the needling head and the support tool (505) or the fiber preform, which allows to avoid collisions with the support tool (505) or the fiber preform. min determining (410) a set of three coordinates (x, y, z), (x1, y1, z1), (x2, y2, z2), (x3, y3, z3) of the pass points (520, 521, 522, 523) of the needling head (530) as a function of determining (420) the angular orientation (α, β, γ) of the needling head for each pass point as a function of the angular orientation of the fiber pieces and Z fibers in the fiber preform to be produced, The method further comprises determining a local displacement speed of the needling head as a function of the Z fiber content in the relevant region of the fiber preform to be produced and the rotation of the support tool. An eleventh aspect is The support tool rotates about a rotation axis (580), A method according to a tenth aspect, wherein the method comprises a mathematical projection (421) of the pass-through point determined on a reference plane (540, λ) that is fixed or movable relative to the support tool and includes the axis of rotation. A twelfth aspect is The method of the tenth or eleventh aspect further comprises creating (409) a mesh (510) of the geometric shape of the fiber preform, and all determinations of the three coordinates (x, y, z) are performed with respect to this mesh. A thirteenth aspect is The method according to any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, wherein the support tool has a non-axisymmetric shape and / or a non-through-hole shape. A fourteenth aspect is A method (600) for producing a fiber preform by needling, comprising: The method (600) comprises: Determining a program for displacement and direction of the needling head according to any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects (610); and needling (620) the fiber preform on a support tool whose shape corresponds to the shape of the fiber preform to be made using a needling head programmed according to the determined program.

Claims

1. A needling system (100) for making a fiber preform, comprising: The needling system (100) comprises: A needling head (110, 210); a robotic arm (120) movable with several degrees of freedom, the robotic arm (120) configured to carry the needling head and move the needling head according to a predetermined trajectory and direction; a fiber piece (233) feeder (130, 230) attached to the needling head, the fiber piece (233) feeder (130, 230) configured to deposit fiber pieces onto a support (250) and cut the fiber pieces; a monitoring unit (140) configured to control the operation of the robot arm, the needling head, and the deposition of the fiber pieces according to a predetermined program for producing a fiber preform.

2. 2. The needling system of claim 1, wherein the fiber piece supplying device comprises an adjustment system configured to adjust the tension of the fiber piece when the fiber piece is placed on the support according to a given instruction or according to one particular point of the trajectory.

3. The needling system of claim 1 , wherein the fiber piece feeder comprises a system (270) for guiding the fiber pieces.

4. 4. The needling system according to claim 3, wherein the guiding system comprises deflecting rollers (271) adjustable according to at least one spherical three-dimensional reference frame.

5. The needling system of claim 1 , wherein the fiber piece feeder comprises a lateral position adjustment system.

6. 10. A method for producing a fiber preform by needling, carried out by a needling system according to claim 1, on a support tool (250) whose shape corresponds to the shape of the fiber preform to be produced, The method comprises depositing and needling fiber pieces on the support tool.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the support tool has a non-axisymmetric and / or non-through shape.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fiber pieces are deposited and needled on the support tool without trajectory constraints.

9. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the needling head forms an angle (α) of between −85° and 85° with respect to a direction normal to a tangent plane (260) of the support tool during all or part of the deposition and needling of the fiber pieces.

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