Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
  • B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
  • B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
  • B29C70/30—Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core
  • B29C70/38—Automated lay-up, e.g. using robots, laying filaments according to predetermined patterns
  • B29C70/386—Automated tape laying [ATL]
  • B29C70/388—Tape placement heads, e.g. component parts, details or accessories
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C53/00—Shaping by bending, folding, twisting, straightening or flattening; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C53/80—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
  • B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
  • B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
  • B29C70/30—Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core
  • B29C70/38—Automated lay-up, e.g. using robots, laying filaments according to predetermined patterns
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C70/00—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts
  • B29C70/04—Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts comprising reinforcements only, e.g. self-reinforcing plastics
  • B29C70/28—Shaping operations therefor
  • B29C70/54—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations, e.g. feeding or storage of prepregs or SMC after impregnation or during ageing
  • B29C70/545—Perforating, cutting or machining during or after moulding
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
  • Y10T156/12—Surface bonding means and/or assembly means with cutting, punching, piercing, severing or tearing
  • Y10T156/1348—Work traversing type
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
  • Y10T156/17—Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means

Definitions

• the present invention is related to the manufacture of parts, by means of carbon fiber taping, especially for the aeronautical industry, proposing a system of particular characteristics in relation to a multi-tape applicator head and the method of applying said tapes on the surface to form.
• the complexity of the surface of the pieces includes the determination of curved areas, which in the formations by means of curb with carbon fiber, as is done in the construction of aeronautical parts, is a problem, since the radii of curvature that can be practiced depend on the width of. the bands of ⁇ .Ia fiber of carbon used in the application, so that the greater the width of the band that is applied, the radius of the curvatures practicable in the application must be less closed, that is, a larger radius is necessary to avoid wrinkles of the band used
• the head applies a single tape that can be of different sizes in width, 300, 150 or 75mm, but always a single tape.
• the width of the application band has a proportional impact on the productivity of the forming processes of the pieces by means of said carbon fiber wrapping process, so that the smaller the width of the application curb, the greater the number of passes that must be done and, therefore, the longer the necessary time and the lower the productivity.
• the carbon fiber of the application strips that are used for the indicated function is impregnated with a resin, so that the duration from which the strip leaves the manufacturing autoclave is about ten days, at which time the strip must be used and otherwise it must be discarded; therefore the productivity of the application is important, to achieve a use :. Quick strips, with it. end of reduce if possible the loss of material due to its aging.
• a carbon fiber tape application head is proposed, with which functionality features are achieved that allow to solve in an advantageous way the problems for the formation of large and complex parts by taping them with said tapes.
• the head is of the type "tape layer machine", that is to say, those that use carbon fiber tape rolled on a support paper and not a multiplicity of carbon fibers rolled in "fiber layer machine” reels.
• the head uses at least two tapes and preferably four Carbon fiber tapes, each of them 75mm wide so that if the head applies the four tapes at the same time it reaches the standard size of 300mm in width which is the one with the highest productivity and, which allows to draw very closed radii without that wrinkles occur on the tapes.
• the standard size of 300mm in width which is the one with the highest productivity and, which allows to draw very closed radii without that wrinkles occur on the tapes.
• You can use two 150mm tapes, always maintaining a total curb width of 300mm, or even a single 300mm tape too, if the radius of the curve is very large and the piece is almost flat.
• an applicator head in which at least two coils of carbon fiber ribbons and preferably four coils are arranged, said coils being incorporated on a master roller formed by a composition of consecutive consecutive sections, which are associated with respective rotary drive transmissions that are controlled by computer programming, the tapes provided, in the winding on the coils, of the conventional protective paper that is separated and collected in independent rewinding reels, one for each coil, when the carbon tapes are applied on the surface to be formed.
• the application tapes are driven from the supply coils to the application area through guides that keep them separated, a multiple heel with independent sections of pressure on each of the tapes being provided in the application area, so depending on this pressure, the application of each tape on the forming surface by means of the curb becomes effective or not.
• a head is thus obtained by means of which bands of different widths can be applied, equal or not, for the formation of a tape with a width of application equivalent to that of a band of. great width, allowing to establish, through the control of the transmission of the rotary drive to the coils of the carbon fiber tapes, the continuous or interrupted application of each of the tapes, according to the requirements of the surface to be formed, as well as vary individually the speed of supply of the different tapes, for the adaptation of the application on the curves of the surface to form, allowing to compensate the greater route of the application in the outer part of the curves than in the inner part, maintaining the tension of the Tapes used throughout the width of the application, without them deforming.
• an application width can be covered just as with a wide band of tape, so that, for example, for an application width of 300 millimeters, two can be used tapes of 150 millimeters in width each of them, or four tapes of 75 millimeters in width each of them, without these measures, nor the number of coils, being limiting, being able to adapt in each case and depending on the surface to Perform, optimal productivity.
• the assembly of the coils of the carbon fiber belts is included with an axial positioning arrangement by means of an automatically controlled longitudinal drive spindle system, which places each of the coils on the master roller in correspondence with the respective guides of driving from. the tapes; and with • a., fixing system rotating each of the coils on the corresponding section of the master roller, by means of radial pressure tiles arranged in said sections of the master roller, which are operated pneumatically, thereby determining a diametral expansion of said sections of the master roller to fix to the coils that go over them.
• an independent sensor is arranged, by which the drive of the rotary transmission to the coils is controlled, to adapt the application speed of each of the tapes as required, maintaining a correct application tension.
• Said sensors are also provided with an oscillating motion arrangement, making it possible to compensate for the variation of the inertia of the reels depending on the amount of the tape consumed from them.
• the replacement of the tape reels can be done individually, when the tape contained in them is finished, changing in each case the coil that is finished, or replacing the whole set of the reels when one of them is finished, which reduces the number of substitutions and stops required, but it involves wasting the material that is left in the unfinished coils.
• An alternative, to achieve a better use of the application tapes, with a minimum number of replacements of the reels carrying said tapes, is to apply a software for managing the supply of the tapes, in: - combination with a program. of .: successive uses- of the applicator head for the formation of different parts, so that the software calculates the curves of application of curb that must be made in the different uses, to develop these so that, the greater consumption of some tapes in some application uses, is it compensates with the greater consumption of the other tapes in other uses, with which all the coils carrying the application tapes are finished at the same time and can be replaced at the same time, without waste of material from them.
• an ultrasonic cutting unit oriented towards the side of the head is incorporated in an axis parallel to the axis of the master roller for incorporating the carbon fiber tape reels, so that by turning the head at 90 ° with respect to the position of application of the carbon fiber tapes, said cutting unit is in operative position, to effect the cutting of the leftovers of the applied tapes.
• the now recommended head and method therefore offer functional characteristics - very advantageous for the practice of forming pieces by means of carbon fiber curb, this system acquiring its own life and preferential character with respect to the means used so far for the same function.
• Figure 1 shows in perspective a head for the application of carbon fiber tapes, according to the invention.
• Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the parts of the head corresponding to its general frame.
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of the head like Figure 2 but with the parts already arranged in their mounting position.
• Figure 4 shows in perspective and in the assembly phase the ultrasonic cutting unit (15).
• Figure 5 is a view like Figure 4 but with the ultrasonic cutting unit (15) already mounted.
• Figure 6 shows in perspective and in the assembly phase the master roller (5).
• Figure 7 is a view like that of Figure 6 but with the master roller (5) already mounted.
• Figure 8 is a partially exploded perspective view of the master roller (5) of. assembly of the • coils. (1) of the carbon fiber tapes in the _ Q _
• Figure 9 is a perspective with a longitudinal section of said master roller (5), without the drive motor block.
• Figure 9A is an enlarged detail of a part of the previous figure.
• Figure 10 is a perspective of the assembly of the master roller (5) for assembling the coils (1), with the sensor block (14) for regulating the supply of the carbon fiber tapes.
• Figure 11 is an enlarged perspective of the block of the sensors (14) for regulating the supply of the tapes.
• Figure 12 is a perspective of the pressure heel (10) of the carbon fiber tapes on the application surface.
• Figure 13 is a perspective of the block of reels (8) rewinding the protective paper of the carbon fiber tapes.
• Figure 14 is a perspective view of the head of the invention in the operative position of the cutting unit (15).
• Figure 14A is a perspective showing the drive means of the cutting unit (15).
• the object of the invention refers to a head of application of carbon fiber tapes for the formation of parts of the aviation industry or similar, with improvements in the head used for this function and in the method of application.
• the head is arranged conventionally on a support (2) of rotary movement with respect to a mounting coupling (3) of vertical axis III, while the block (2.1) or head itself is incorporated in a rotating assembly "pinion-crown "
• At least two coils (1) supplying the carbon tapes to be applied are arranged in the head.
• the head has, as shown in Figure 10, four coils (1), in each of which a carbon fiber tape of one measured in width of 75mm.
• the head applies the four carbon fiber tapes at the same time it reaches a covering width of 300mm and with it maximum productivity; whereas if only one coil (1) of 75mm width is used, very closed radii can be drawn without wrinkles; in this way one, two, three or the four coils (1) will be used depending on the curvature of the radii to be traced.
• the head When the head is used to cover less complex surfaces, it is possible to choose, for example, two coils (1) of 150mm, covering a dimension in width of 300mm, or even a single coil (1) of 300mm in width that allows develop curves of. radios.- large for almost flat pieces.
• the coils (1) are incorporated on a master roller (5) which is formed by a composition of consecutive independent rings (5.1), which are mounted on an axis (16), see Figure 9, whose theoretical longitudinal axis II is perpendicular to the horizontal axis I.
• each of the sections (5.1) is controlled by its respective independent motor (7), which, as seen in Figure 9A, drives a pinion (24) engaged with a crown (25) of the inside the corresponding section (5.1), so that with this assembly the controlled individual rotation drive of each section (5.1) is ensured, as set forth in Patent P200200524 of the same applicant as the present invention.
• the coils (1) can rotate at different speeds between them; . of - way that, by For example, when arriving at a curved section, the coil (1) that corresponds to the tape that is outside the curve "will run" more than the one next to it and so on; so that at the exit of the curve all the tapes are already unwound at the same speed.
• Carbon fiber tapes intended for application are provided, with the corresponding and conventional protective paper that prevents said tapes from sticking on themselves in the winding on the coils (1), so that when said tapes are applied in the surface to be formed, the protective paper is separated from them, being collected in rewind reels (8) that are arranged for that purpose in the same head, see Figure 11.
• the carbon fiber belts are driven by guides (9), see Figure 1, which keep them separated, to the application area, where it goes arranged a multiple heel (10), which is formed, as seen in Figure 12, by independent stretches (10.1) of pressure on each of the belts, so that depending on said pressure it becomes effective or not the application of the corresponding tapes on the formation surface by means of the curb.
• the tapes that are initially pressed against said surface by the corresponding sections (10.1) of the heel (10), are applied on the surface that is being forming, while the tapes that are not • pressed by the respective sections (10.1) of the heel (10) pass without being applied on the surface in formation; whereby, by selecting the operability, through the programming of operation control of the head, surfaces of any type can be formed, applying the formation tapes only on the parts that must be covered with the application material.
• the assembly of the coils (1) supplying the carbon fiber belts is carried out by means of an axial positioning arrangement by means of a longitudinal drive spindle, in combination with optical sensors arranged in the conductive guides (9) of the tapes, allowing automatic control to align the coils
• reels (8) for rewinding the protective paper of the carbon fiber tapes are incorporated as is. appreciate •• Figure 11, on an axis (12), blocking with respect thereto by means of a wedge system (13), which are in turn operated by a pneumatic system.
• some sensors (14), shown in Figure 11, are disposed, with respect to which they pass individually carbon fiber tapes; so that by means of said sensors (14) the output speed of each of the tapes is controlled, regulating, depending on that speed, the drive of the rotary transmission to the coils (1) by means of the corresponding motors (7), to adapt the supply of each tape to the speed of application of the same that is required at every moment, avoiding tensions or pulls that cause a bad application.
• the aforementioned sensors (14) are also arranged in an oscillating motion arrangement, making it possible to compensate for the variation of the inertia of the coils (1), as consumption of the corresponding tape content in said coils (1) occurs, so that the tape tension is constant during the supply process; so that the application is uniform.
• the method of application of the carbon fiber tapes can be carried out, by means of the described head, using two or more tapes that add a width equivalent to the width of a curb that allows covering the surface of application with a minimum number of passed, but in such a way that, by controlling the speed of the supply of each of the tapes, the application can be made following the necessary paths, both straight and curved, so that 5 in the areas of straight application all the tapes they are supplied at the same speed, but in the curved application areas the application tapes on the outside of the curvature are supplied at a higher speed than those for application on the inside of
• the application process can be established so that when a coil (1) is finished, said coil is replaced individually
• the application method can also be set to replace all coils (1) of
• a management software is applied, in combination with a program of successive application uses to form the same or different parts, so that said software calculates the paths of application of the curb that must be made in the different uses, determining an order of realization of these, so that the greater consumption of some application tapes in some uses is compensated with the greater consumption of the others tapes in other uses, whereby all the coils (1) carrying the application tapes are finished at the same time.
• all the coils (1) are changed at the same replacement stop, taking full advantage of the carbon fiber material of the tapes, since there is no waste of waste.
• an ultrasonic cutting unit (15) is incorporated in the head, which is arranged on an axis Ha parallel to axis II of the master roller (5), in orientation towards the side of the head ,. see Figures 4, 5 and 6.. . . -. •
• the cutting unit (15) remains in an operative arrangement, in order to be able to cut the leftovers of the carbon fiber tapes used in the formation of the application surface.
• the cutting unit (15) has a rotation (CU) of the blade (17) by means of a servo-controlled drive that is operated by a servo motor (18) through a pinion (19) and a crown ( 20), so that it is possible to cut the carbon fiber material.
• a servo-controlled drive that is operated by a servo motor (18) through a pinion (19) and a crown ( 20), so that it is possible to cut the carbon fiber material.
• the blade (17) is axially excited by an ultrasonic frequency with an amplitude of a few tenths of a millimeter, whereby it is able to cut the deposited and uncured material left over from the carbon fiber tapes, said ultrasonic frequency being generated from the blade (17) by a resonator (21) that is incorporated into the support (2) of the. head, from which is transmitted to a collector (22), which allows the blade (17) to be excited even when it is rotatably actuated in the rotation (CU).

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Composite Materials (AREA)
• Robotics (AREA)
• Moulding By Coating Moulds (AREA)
• Reinforced Plastic Materials (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=39031179

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (10)

Citations (7)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 2006
  • 2006-08-08 ES ES200602154A patent/ES2291131B1/es not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2007
  • 2007-06-28 EP EP07788630.7A patent/EP2055463A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-06-28 US US12/309,972 patent/US8202385B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-06-28 JP JP2009523309A patent/JP5517618B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-06-28 CN CN2007800293161A patent/CN101500786B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-06-28 WO PCT/ES2007/000382 patent/WO2008020094A1/es not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (7)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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