Method and placement machine for placing and attaching strip sections to a part to be produced

A method for laying up and tacking sections of tape on a part to be produced, comprising:

• supplying tape material using a first material drive/supply unit to a predetermined distance beyond a first cutter assembly;
• grasping a leading edge of a section of tape from the first material drive/supply unit using a first gripping unit;
• moving the first gripping unit over a distance, which corresponds to a desired length of the section of tape, in a direction away from the first cutter assembly;
• severing an end of the section of tape from the first material drive/supply unit using the first cutter assembly;
• moving the first gripping unit further in the direction away from the first cutter assembly until the section of tape is positioned at a desired point in guide ways;
• moving a motion table a first time into a position to receive a tape course;
• placing the section of tape provided by the first material drive/supply unit on a tooling surface of the motion table and tacking it by way of a first tape tacking unit;
• moving the first gripping unit back into a position adjoining the first cutter assembly;
• supplying tape material using a second material drive/supply unit to a predetermined distance beyond a second cutter assembly;
• grasping a leading edge of a second section of tape from the second material drive/supply unit using a second gripping unit;
• moving the second gripping unit over a distance, which corresponds to a desired length of the second section of tape, in a direction away from the second cutter assembly
• severing an end of the second section of tape from the second material drive/supply unit using the second cutter assembly;
• moving the second gripping unit further in the direction away from the second cutter assembly until the second section of tape is positioned at a desired point in guide ways;
• moving the motion table a second time into a position to receive a second tape course;
• placing the second section of tape provided by the second material drive/supply unit on the tooling surface of the motion table and tacking it by way of the first tape tacking unit or a second tape tacking unit;
• and
• moving the second gripping unit back into a position adjoining the second cutter assembly.