Continuous flow manufacturing system and apparatus and method for controlling process data of a continuous flow manufacturing process

An apparatus for controlling a continuous flow composite manufacturing system, the apparatus comprising:

• a database, comprising process-data associated with the continuous flow composite manufacturing system, wherein the process-data comprises:
• a part-identification, corresponding to a composite laminate;
• a pre-operation condition of the composite laminate, prior to performing a composite laminate operation on the composite laminate;
• and
• operating instructions for a composite laminate machine, configured to perform the composite laminate operation;
• a machine-readable identifier, associated with a tool, holding the composite laminate, and encoded with a tool-identification;
• a reader, configured to read the machine-readable identifier;
• and
• a computing device, in communication with the database, the composite lamination machine and the reader, wherein the computing device is configured to:
• identify the tool using the tool-identification;
• associate the tool-identification with the process-data, corresponding to the composite laminate and a workstation of the continuous flow composite manufacturing system;
• retrieve the operating instructions from the database;
• transmit the operating instructions to the composite lamination machine to control operation of the composite lamination machine to perform the composite lamination operation;
• and
• update the process-data, as the tool holding the composite laminate moves sequentially through a plurality of workstations of the continuous flow composite manufacturing system, to further comprise a post-operation condition of the composite laminate, subsequent to performing the composite lamination operation.

A method for controlling a continuous flow composite manufacturing system, the method comprising:

• identifying a tool at each one of a plurality of workstations of the continuous flow composite manufacturing system, wherein each one of the workstations comprises a composite lamination machine that implements a composite lamination operation performed on a composite laminate held by the tool as the tool holding the composite laminate moves sequentially through the plurality of workstations;
• associating a tool-identification, corresponding to the tool, with process-data associated with the composite laminate and the workstation, wherein the process-data comprises:
• a part-identification, corresponding to the composite laminate;
• a pre-operation condition of the composite laminate, prior to performing the composite lamination operation;
• and
• operating instructions for the composite lamination machine to perform the composite lamination operation;
• retrieving, from a database, the operating instructions for the composite lamination machine;
• transmitting the operating instructions to the composite lamination machine;
• performing the composite lamination operation on the composite laminate using the composite lamination machine executing the operating instructions;
• and
• updating the process-data to further comprise a post-operation condition of the composite laminate, subsequent to performing the composite lamination operation.