Automated Composite Rod Manufacturing Using ATL and Press Conformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of rod-shaped composite components, such as fillers for stringer reinforced structures in the aeronautical industry, is time-consuming and costly due to the lack of automated machinery, resulting in quality issues and high manual labor requirements.
Innovation Solution
An automated method using Automated Tape Laying or Automated Fiber Placement machines to form carbon fiber laminates, followed by automatic cutting and simultaneous conformation with pressure and heat in a press equipped with molds, producing rods with consistent shape and geometry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual operations are used to cut and roll carbon fiber strips into rods, then flexibility in handling is maintained, but production time increases and quality consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The method uses existing automated composite manufacturing equipment (ATL or AFP machines) that are already self-service capable for producing skin panels, to also produce the filler rods. The same automated laying equipment performs both skin panel and filler production, eliminating the need for dedicated manual or specialized automated rod-making equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The ATL or AFP machine is made multi-functional by programming it to produce both skin panels and filler rods using the same carbon fiber laying capability. The equipment serves dual purposes: manufacturing the main structural panels and the filler rods needed for stringer reinforcement, thereby increasing productivity without adding dedicated equipment.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual rolling of carbon fiber strips is performed, then equipment cost is reduced, but manufacturing precision and quality consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The existing automated laying equipment, designed for high-precision skin panel manufacturing, is utilized to also manufacture filler rods. This self-service approach ensures that the same precision-capable equipment produces both components, guaranteeing rod shape consistency through automated control rather than manual variability.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing parameters of the ATL/AFP machine are adjusted to produce rods instead of panels. By changing the laying pattern, tooling, and process parameters from panel configuration to rod configuration, the same high-precision equipment achieves consistent rod geometry without sacrificing manufacturing simplicity.
3Productivity
If dedicated equipment is manufactured for rod production, then productivity increases, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ATL or AFP machine is made multi-functional by programming it to produce both skin panels and filler rods using the same carbon fiber laying capability. The equipment serves dual purposes: manufacturing the main structural panels and the filler rods needed for stringer reinforcement, thereby increasing productivity without adding dedicated equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The method uses existing automated composite manufacturing equipment (ATL or AFP machines) that are already self-service capable for producing skin panels, to also produce the filler rods. The same automated laying equipment performs both skin panel and filler production, eliminating the need for dedicated manual or specialized automated rod-making equipment.
4Productivity
If automated Tape Laying or Fiber Placement is used to form laminates, then productivity increases, but equipment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ATL or AFP machine is made multi-functional by programming it to produce both skin panels and filler rods using the same carbon fiber laying capability. The equipment serves dual purposes: manufacturing the main structural panels and the filler rods needed for stringer reinforcement, thereby increasing productivity without adding dedicated equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method significantly reduces production time and costs, ensures consistent quality, and eliminates the need for dedicated equipment, resulting in high-volume production of rods with precise geometry and reduced defects.
Implementation Method 1
a press, for example a hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanic press or even a vacuum press, is provided with a surface having a plurality of molds in the form of elongated channels with the desired shape for the rods
Implementation Method 2
The application of pressure, may be carried out by generating vacuum inside a membrane inside which the rowing are placed
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2E
Figure 3A~3H
AI summary
The invention refers to a method for manufacturing rod-shaped components of composite material, for example rowings or fillers, wherein a laminate (5) is layered by automatically laying up a plurality of plies of composite material, which is then cut in an automated machine (7) to obtain a plurality of rods (8) having substantially the same cross-sectional shape. The obtained rods (8) are then simultaneously conformed by applying heat and pressure to obtain rods with the desired cross-sectional shape. With the method of the invention, a large number of these type of components is produced with improved quality and in a very simple manner, using the machinery and equipment already commonly existing in a factory of aeronautic components.