Method and apparatus for automated location marking

A compliant marking tool for attachment to a fiber placement machine, the marking tool making marks on a work piece, the marking tool comprising:

• a mount for mounting the marking tool to the fiber placement machine, the mount being dimensioned to be attached to a head on the fiber placement machine;
• a flexible member having opposite first and second ends and a length therebetween with the flexible member first end being attached to the mount, the flexible member flexing in response to contact between the work piece and the marking tool and the flexing of the flexible member allowing the marking tool to maintain contact with the work piece and follow contours of the work piece;
• a holder pivotably connected to the second end of the flexible member, the pivot connection allowing the holder to pivot about a single axis of rotation which is generally perpendicular to the length of the flexible member when the marking tool is not in contact with the work piece;
• and
• a marking member having opposite first and second ends and a longitudinal length therebetween, the marking member having a tip extending longitudinally from the marking member first end, the marking member being attached to the holder so that the tip extends longitudinally outward from the holder and the tip can contact the work piece, the tip making a mark on the work piece when the tip and the work piece come in contact.

A method of using an NC controlled fiber placement machine to mark detail locations on a work piece by using a marking tool attached to the fiber placement machine, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing an NC controlled fiber placement machine with a work piece positioned on the fiber placement machine;
• providing a marking tool having a flexible member that is configured and adapted to flex in response to the marking tool contacting the work piece, a holder pivotably connected to the flexible member so that the holder can pivot relative to the flexible member, and a marking member attached to the holder so that a tip of the marking member can contact the work piece and make a mark on the work piece;
• attaching the marking tool to the fiber placement machine so that the marking member is in a known position relative to a machine axis of the fiber placement machine;
• providing an NC program to control the fiber placement machine so that when the NC program is run the tip of the marking member contacts the work piece and makes marks on the work piece at predetermined locations;
• and
• running the NC program so that the tip of the marking member makes marks on the work piece at the predetermined locations.