Material Placement System

A method for placing material for a composite part, the method comprising:

• positioning a roller relative to a material delivery structure in which the roller is associated with an end of the material delivery structure;
• moving the material delivery structure relative to a mold;
• moving a plurality of lengths of material towards the roller;
• and
• placing the plurality of lengths of material on the mold with the roller.

A material movement system for receiving a plurality of lengths of material comprising:

• a roller configured to move between a first position and a second position relative to a material delivery structure in which the roller is in the first position when the plurality of lengths of material is placed on a surface of a mold when the material delivery structure is moved in a first direction and the roller is in the second position when the plurality of lengths of material is placed on the surface of the mold when the material delivery structure is moved in a second direction that is substantially opposite to the first direction;
• a first guide on a first side of the material delivery structure in which the first guide is configured to guide a first number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material to the roller;
• a second guide on a second side of the material delivery structure in which the second guide is configured to guide a second number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material to the roller in which the first guide comprises a first number of channels and the second guide comprises a second number of channels;
• in which the first number of channels is offset from the second number of channels;
• in which the first guide is positioned at an angle relative to the second guide such that the first guide and the second guide substantially intersect at a location of the roller;
• and in which the roller, the material delivery structure, the first guide, and the second guide form an end effector;
• a supply configured to send the plurality of lengths of material to the material delivery structure;
• a positioning system associated with the material delivery structure and configured to move the end effector relative to the mold configured to receive the plurality of lengths of material;
• the material movement system configured to move the first number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material towards the roller and move the second number of lengths of material towards the roller;
• a cutting system associated with the material delivery structure and configured to cut at least one of the first number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material and the second number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material;
• and
• a clamping system associated with the material delivery structure and configured to substantially halt movement of the at least one of the first number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material towards the roller and the second number of lengths of material towards the roller.

A method for placing material for a composite part by moving a material delivery structure relative to a mold, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of lengths of material towards a roller associated with an end of the material delivery structure in which the roller is configured to move between a first position and a second position relative to the material delivery structure;
• in which a material movement system moves a first number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material towards the roller and moves a second number of lengths of material towards the roller;
• in which the material delivery structure has a first guide on a first side of the material delivery structure in which the first guide is configured to guide the first number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material to the roller and a second guide on a second side of the material delivery structure in which the second guide is configured to guide the second number of lengths of material in the plurality of lengths of material to the roller;
• in which the first guide comprises a first number of channels and the second guide comprises a second number of channels;
• in which the first number of channels is offset from the second number of channels;
• in which the first guide is positioned at an angle relative to the second guide such that the first guide and the second guide substantially intersect at a location of the roller;
• in which the roller, the material delivery structure, the first guide, and the second guide form an end effector;
• and in which a positioning system is associated with the material delivery structure and moves the end effector relative to the mold;
• moving the roller to the first position when the material delivery structure moves in a first direction;
• moving the roller to the second position when the material delivery structure moves in a second direction that is substantially opposite to the first direction;
• placing the plurality of lengths of material on the mold with the roller;
• and
• cutting the plurality of lengths of material when the plurality of lengths of material has been placed in the first direction, in which a cutting system is associated with the material delivery structure and cuts the plurality of lengths of material when the plurality of lengths of material has been placed in the first direction.