Bi-directional fiber placement head

A fiber placement head reciprocally movable with respect to a surface for placing fiber tows from a tow source on the surface, the fiber placement head comprising:

• a feed assembly for feeding fiber tows in a forward direction from said tow source to a front end of the feed assembly.
• an applicator assembly at the front end of the feed assembly for receiving tows from the feed assembly and applying them to said surface, said applicator assembly being mounted for rotation relative to the feed assembly, and
• a device for rotating the applicator assembly relative to the feed assembly between a first position for application of tows to said surface as the fiber placement head moves relative to the surface in a first direction, and a second position for application of tows to said surface as the fiber placement head moves relative to the surface in a second direction generally opposite said first direction;
• and
• a heater having an outlet located near the front end of the feed assembly, said applicator assembly including a heater manifold for receiving hot air from the heater and distributing hot air to the surface, the manifold having first and second rearwardly-facing inlets for receiving hot air from the heater and a forwardly-facing outlet for directing hot air onto said surface, the first inlet of the manifold being positioned for alignment with the heater outlet when the applicator assembly is in its said first position, and the second manifold inlet being positioned for alignment with the heater outlet when the applicator assembly is in its said second position.