Fiber delivery apparatus and system having a creel and fiber placement head with polar axis of rotation

A fiber delivery apparatus for the manufacture of composite fiber laminated products comprising:

• an articulating wrist apparatus including first and second wrist elements operably coupled to one another for pivotable movement therebetween about a wrist axis;
• a creel assembly storing a plurality of fiber spools therein, the first wrist element in a fixed axial position relative to the creel assembly such that the wrist axis remains in a fixed axial position relative to the creel assembly;
• a fiber placement head mounted to the second wrist element for pivotal movement about the wrist axis relative to creel assembly, a tow path being formed between each of the plurality of spools and the fiber placement head;
• further including a pivot angle redirect arrangement mounted to the second wrist element and is positioned along the tow paths between the spools and the fiber placement head;
• wherein the pivot angle redirect arrangement is offset from the wrist axis along the tow paths between the wrist axis and the spools;
• and
• wherein the pivot angle redirect arrangement pivots about a pivot angle redirect axis relative to the second wrist axis at a rate that is less than the rate that the second wrist element pivots relative to the first wrist element about the wrist axis.

A fiber delivery apparatus for the manufacture of composite fiber laminated products comprising:

• an articulating wrist apparatus including first and second wrist elements operably coupled to one another for pivotable movement therebetween about a wrist axis;
• a creel assembly storing a plurality of fiber spools therein, the first wrist element in a fixed axial position relative to the creel assembly such that the wrist axis remains in a fixed axial position relative to the creel assembly;
• a fiber placement head mounted to the second wrist element for pivotal movement about the wrist axis relative to creel assembly, a tow path being formed between each of the plurality of spools and the fiber placement head;
• further including a pivot angle redirect arrangement mounted to the second wrist element and is positioned along the tow paths between the spools and the fiber placement head,
• wherein the pivot angle redirect arrangement is offset from the wrist axis along the tow paths between the wrist axis and the spools;
• and
• wherein the offset between the wrist axis and the pivot angle redirect arrangement is such that when the second wrist element pivots relative to the first wrist element a maximum angle the overall length of each tow path does not increase by more than a diameter of the spools.

A fiber placement system including:

• a positioner system;
• and
• a fiber delivery apparatus coupled to the positioner system, the fiber delivery apparatus comprising:
• an articulating wrist apparatus including first and second wrist elements operably coupled to one another for pivotable movement therebetween about a wrist axis;
• a creel assembly storing a plurality of fiber spools therein, the first wrist element in a fixed axial position relative to the creel assembly such that the wrist axis remains in a fixed axial position relative to the creel assembly;
• a fiber placement head mounted to the second wrist element for pivotal movement about the wrist axis relative to creel assembly, a tow path being formed between each of the plurality of spools and the fiber placement head;
• a mechanical interface releasably coupling the positioner system to the fiber delivery apparatus;
• and
• a pivot angle redirect arrangement mounted to the second wrist element being positioned along the tow paths between the spools and the fiber placement head.