Composite Tape Placement Head Cutter Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated fiber placement machines are limited in cutting tape courses to minimum lengths, requiring longer courses that add weight and cost or necessitate trimming, as the cutter blade is typically positioned far from the compaction point.
Innovation Solution
The cutter is positioned close to the compaction roller, allowing for cutting of tape at or near the compaction point, using either a rotary or guillotine cutter, to minimize course length and enable placement of shorter tape courses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the cutter blade is positioned far from the compaction point, then the tape can be cut at a sufficient distance from the compaction roller, but the minimum course length increases, requiring longer courses that add weight and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the cutter in the longitudinal dimension to be immediately adjacent to the compaction roller, minimizing the distance between cutting and compaction points. This dimensional repositioning enables short courses to be placed by cutting the tape at or near the compaction point, thereby reducing the minimum course length and the weight of the composite structure.
2Length of moving object
If the cutter blade is positioned far from the compaction point, then the cutting mechanism can be simpler, but the course length cannot be reduced below the distance from compaction to cutting point
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cutter and compaction roller into the same longitudinal position on the tape placement head, with the cutter positioned immediately adjacent to the compaction point. This merging of functions at the same location eliminates the need for long tape courses, as the tape can be cut at or near the compaction point, thereby minimizing the minimum course length.
3Loss of substance
If longer tape courses are used to accommodate the minimum cutting length, then the equipment can operate with standard cutter positioning, but material waste and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the cutter in the longitudinal dimension to minimize the distance between the cutting point and the compaction point. This dimensional change allows the tape to be cut at or near the compaction point, enabling short courses to be placed and significantly reducing material waste and cost while maintaining operational simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic composite tape placement head includes a roller for compacting tape on a substrate, and a cutter adjacent the roller for cutting the tape at the roller.