Tape-laying head

In a machine head for laying a tape of composite material from a two-ply tape consisting of a layer of said composite material laminated to a strippable backing tape,

• said machine head being adapted for suspension from the movable carriage of a gantry or the like which provides controlled linear movement of the carriage above, and along three rectilinear axes with respect to, a laying surface positioned to receive the composite material from said machine head and which provides controlled rotation of a portion of the carriage about a vertical axis,
• said machine head comprising
• a frame adapted to be secured in suspension from the rotatable portion of said movable carriage,
• a tape supply mechanism mounted on the frame and comprising a power-driven restraining spindle removably engageable with the hub of a supply reel of said two-ply tape,
• a tape guide for conducting said two-ply tape from the supply reel,
• a flying shear disposed along said tape guide and operable to sever the composite material transversely of the two-ply without severing the backing tape,
• a tape-laying mechanism for laying a severed length of the composite material upon said surface,
• a take-up mechanism for conveying the backing tape away from the tape-laying mechanism, and
• a control mechanism for synchronizing the operations of said gantry carriage, said tape-supply mechanism, said shear, said tape-laying mechanism and said take-up mechanism to effect the laying of a predetermined length of composite material in tape form upon a laying surface between two points on said surface,
• the improvement wherein the tape-laying mechanism comprises
• a subcarriage reciprocable along a horizontal track on the frame of the machine head from and to a normal position adjacent the delivery end of the tape guide,
• a yoke vertically reciprocable on said subcarriage, a tape presser roll journalled in said yoke and about which the backing tape is trained between the tape guide and the take-up mechanism,
• power-operated means for urging said yoke resiliently toward said laying surface to implant the composite material of said two-ply tape upon said surface, said yoke being normally raised on the subcarriage to maintain the presser roll and entrained tape above said laying surface,
• a power-operated tape clamp on said subcarriage engagement with said presser roll in its normal raised position to secure the backing tape thereto,
• a power-driven mechanism for advancing and retracting said subcarriage through a variable measured distance between selected points along said track,
• said control means synchronizing the operations of said subcarriage, flying shear, tape clamp, roll yoke and take-up mechanism to maintain the engagement of the tape clamp with the presser roll as the subcarriage advances thereby to draw a measured length of the two-ply tape from the tape guide and a corresponding length of backing tape from the take-up mechanism, to release the clamp and to cause the presser roll to implant the end of a severed length of the composite material upon said laying surface, and then to roll back over the two-ply tape to press said severed length to the laying surface while simultaneously removing the backing tape from the laid composite material and from the laying site.