Payout of film at composite fabrication systems
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorRichard Allen Miller, II
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods are provided for paying out material. One embodiment is a method for dispensing film onto a surface. the method includes operating vacuum ports at a suction table, adhering a leading edge of a web of film to the suction table, driving the payout system across the suction table while the vacuum ports are being operated and while unrolling the web of film, unrolling a web of film from a roll of a payout system that is mounted for traversal across the upper surface of the suction table, and enforcing tension at the web of film between the suction table and the roll while payout system is drawn across the suction table.
Claims27
A method for dispensing film onto a surface, the method comprising:
- operating vacuum ports at a suction table;
- adhering a leading edge of a web of film to the suction table;
- driving a payout system across the suction table while the vacuum ports are being operated and while unrolling the web of film;
- unrolling a web of film from a roll of a payout system that is mounted for traversal across an upper surface of the suction table;
- enforcing tension at the web of film between the suction table and the roll while payout system is drawn across the suction table;
- inserting projections of a blade cartridge into receptacles of a cutter mount that is affixed to the payout system;
- rotating the projections of the blade cartridge into tunnels of the cutter mount and
- cutting the web of film while unrolling the web, via the blade cartridge.
A method for aligning a cart and transferring a payout system to a table, the method comprising:
- vertically aligning an upper frame of a cart with at least one surface of a suction table;
- indexing the payout system to the suction table;
- rolling the payout system from the cart onto the suction table;
- driving the payout system across the suction table while continuously paying out a web of film from the payout system onto an upper surface of the suction table;
- and
- adhering the web of film to the upper surface as the payout system is being driven.
A system for dispensing film onto a table, the system comprising:
- a suction table comprising:
- an upper surface;
- and
- vacuum ports which draw air from the upper surface;
- and
- a payout system comprising:
- a spool configured to dispense film from a roll;
- frame elements that are disposed at sides of the spool and are separated by at least
- a width of the upper surface and provide mechanical integrity for the payout system;
- linear elements that structurally unite the frame elements together;
- wheels that are configured to roll the payout system along at least one surface of the suction table while the roll dispenses film;
- and
- a cutter mount which removably retains a blade cartridge that comprises retention springs and a blade that cuts the film while the film is being dispensed, wherein the cutter mount defines receptacles that receive projections of the blade cartridge, and further defines tunnels that are dimensioned to receive the projections when the blade cartridge is rotated after the receptacles receive the projections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.