Fiber placement machine
AssigneeCincinnati Milacron Inc.
InventorMilo M. Vaniglia
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fiber placement machine includes a carriage assembly movable in an X direction along a base support adapted to rest on the floor, a cross slide pivotally mounted on the carriage having a multi-axis manipulator device at one end carrying a fiber placement head and a creel assembly mounted at the other end which supplies a number of individual fiber tows to the fiber placement head. Mechanisms associated with the carriage and cross slide, in addition to the multi-axis manipulator, are effective to move the fiber placement head along a number of axes with respect to the surface of a mandrel such that the individual fiber tows are pressed onto the mandrel by a compaction roller or shoe mounted to the fiber placement head which is maintained substantially perpendicular to the surface of the mandrel.
Claims10
A fiber placement machine, comprising:
- a base support having a longitudinal axis;
- a carriage mounted to said base support;
- means for moving said carriage along said longitudinal axis of said base support;
- a cross slide mounted to said carriage and movable therewith along said longitudinal axis of said base support;
- means for selectively and actively pivoting said cross slide with respect to said carriage about a pivot axis which is substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis;
- a multi-axis manipulator mounted to said cross slide and movable therewith;
- a fiber placement head carried by said multi-axis manipulator, said multi-axis manipulator including means for moving said fiber placement head along multiple axes relative to the surface of a mandrel;
- fiber tow supply means carried by said cross slide for supplying a number of individual fiber tows at independent rates to said fiber placement head, said fiber placement head being effective to lay down the fiber tows side-by-side upon the surface of the mandrel to form a fiber band and to compact the fiber band against the surface;
- fiber tow guide means associated with said fiber tow supply means and said fiber placement head for maintaining substantially continuous alignment of said fiber tow supply means and said fiber placement head as said fiber placement head is moved by said multi-axis manipulator with respect to said fiber tow supply means.
A fiber placement machine, comprising:
- a base support having a substantially horizontally extending, longitudinal axis;
- a carriage mounted to said base support;
- means for moving said carriage along said longitudinal axis of said base support;
- a cross slide mounted to said carriage and movable therewith along said longitudinal axis of said base support;
- means for selectively and actively tilting said cross slide with respect to said carriage in a reversible, substantially vertical direction about a pivot axis which is substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis;
- means for moving said cross slide with respect to said carriage in a transverse direction which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said base support and substantially perpendicular to said vertical direction;
- a multi-axis manipulator mounted to said cross slide and movable therewith;
- a fiber placement head carried by said multi-axis manipulator, said multi-axis manipulator including means for moving said fiber placement head along multiple axes relative to the surface of a mandrel;
- fiber tow supply means carried by said cross slide for supplying a number of individual fiber tows at independent rates to said fiber placement head, said fiber placement head being effective to lay down the fiber tows side-by-side upon the surface of the mandrel to form a fiber band and to compact the fiber band against the surface;
- fiber tow guide means associated with said fiber tow supply means and said fiber placement head for maintaining substantially continuous alignment of said fiber tow supply means and said fiber placement head as said fiber placement head is moved by said multi-axis manipulator with respect to said fiber tow supply means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.