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
  • 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
• • 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
• • 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
  • B29C37/00—Component parts, details, accessories or auxiliary operations, not covered by group B29C33/00 or B29C35/00
  • B29C2037/90—Measuring, controlling or regulating
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29K—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR MOULDS, REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
  • B29K2105/00—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped
  • B29K2105/06—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
  • B29K2105/08—Condition, form or state of moulded material or of the material to be shaped containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts of continuous length, e.g. cords, rovings, mats, fabrics, strands or yarns
  • B29K2105/0872—Prepregs

Definitions

• the tow material may be a pre-impregnated tow material.
• the slip compensation mechanism may include: one or more rails configured to enable movement with respect to a part of the head of one or more of: the shearing mechanism, or a tow guide roller and a gripping shoe; and a driving arrangement to drive movement of the shearing mechanism, or the tow guide roller and the gripping shoe.
• the tow material may be provided with a backing material and the shearing mechanism may be configured to separate the tow material from the backing material, the controller may be further configured to receive a second load sensor signal representative of a tension of the backing material between the shearing mechanism and a backing material collector, the second load sensor signal may be used by the controller in monitoring the driving force.
• the tape laying system may further include a web mechanism, the tow material being provided with a web prior to shear deformation of the tow material and the controller may be further configured to operate the web mechanism to remove the web from the tow material after the tow material has been laid on the mould.
• the controller may be further configured to operate the web mechanism to add the web to the tow material prior to shear deformation of the tow material.
• the slip compensation mechanism may include: one or more rails configured to enable movement with respect to a part of the tape laying system of one or more of: the shearing mechanism, or a tow guide roller and a gripping shoe; and a driving arrangement, wherein the controller is configured to operate the driving arrangement to drive movement of the shearing mechanism, or the tow guide roller and the gripping shoe.
• the shearing mechanism 5 may be a mechanism generally as described in GB2492594.
• the gripping shoe 53 may be formed from a generally elongate member which is pivotably mounted with respect to the tow guide roller 52 such that a distance between at least part of the gripping shoe 53 and at least part of the tow guide roller 52 may be varied by rotation of the gipping shoe 53 about its pivotable mount 53a (the pivotable mount 53a may form part of the shearing mechanism 5).
• the gripping shoe 53 may have a distal end adjacent the tow guide roller 52 and a proximal end (which opposes the distal end).
• the pivotable mount 53a may be located between the proximal and distal ends of the gripping shoe 53.
• the or each processor 73a may be communicatively coupled to the memory 73b and the or each processor 73a may use the memory 73b in the execution of the instructions.
• the memory 73b may be volatile memory, for example.
• the head is moved with respect to the mould 3 and this provides a driving force, P.
• a shearing mechanism with a gripping shoe and tow guide roller such as the shearing mechanism 5 described herein with its gripping shoe 53 and tow guide roller 52
• the action of the gripping shoe and tow guide roller on the tow material 22 serves to resist lateral movement of the tow material across the gripping shoe.
• the action serves to inhibit slippage of the tow material 22 across the gripping shoe as the shear angle increases.
• the gripping shoe and tow guide roller therefore, provide a transverse frictional force, T t .
• these one or more characteristics may be manually entered via the user interface device 8 and may be stored on the computer readable medium 73c, for example, for later retrieval and use by the processor(s) 73a.
• These and other such systems 100,7 may include one or more sensors (e.g. ultrasonic and/or contact sensors) which detect a change in the diameter of the creels (as material is released or collected) and can adjust the operation of the system 100,7 accordingly to achieve the required tow material 22 tension.
• sensors e.g. ultrasonic and/or contact sensors
• the controller 73 may be configured to generate the first and second motor control signals and the brake signal, in order to control the tension in the tow material 22 in the shearing mechanism 5, as described.
• the actual tension in the tow material 22 in the shearing mechanism 5 cannot be measured directly as this would interfere with the shearing operation.
• the tension may be estimated or determined by use of the following equation: n T 1 l, ⁇ 1 P m P — - cos(0)
• these zones may include a first zone from the tape supply 4 to the shearing mechanism 5 (and, in particular, to the gripping zone), a second zone within the shearing mechanism 5 (and, in particular, between the shearing boundaries), and a third zone between the shearing mechanism 5 and the backing material collector 6 (and, in particular, from the compaction shoe 51). This may be achieved, for example, in relation to the first zone, through the application of an adequate force on the tow material 22 by the tow guide roller 52 and gripping shoe 53 to cause the isolation.
• some embodiments may include pressing the gripping shoe 53 against the tow guide roller 52 with sufficient force to decouple the tension in the second zone from that of the first and/or third zones.
• the tension in the first and/or third zones may then be increased, such that higher acceleration and/or deceleration of the movement of the compaction shoe 51 can be achieved without substantive impact on the shearing operation.
• the web 201 may pass (along an associated path) from the source of web material 202 to meet with the tow material 22 in advance of that tow material 22 entering the gripping zone (e.g. the path between the tow guide roller 52 and the gripping shoe 53).
• the web 201 may be pressed onto the tow material 22 by the action of the tow guide roller 52 and the gripping shoe 53.
• the web 201 may be positioned such that it is between the tow material 22 and the tow guide roller 52.
• the path of the web 201 may pass the compaction shoe 51 , following the path of the tow material 22. After the tow material 22 has been laid on the mould 3 by the compaction shoe 52, the web 201 may be removed from the tow material 22 and passed to the web material collector 203.
• the web 201 is positioned between the tow material 22 and the compaction shoe 51 . As such, there is a reduced risk of inadvertent adhesion of the tow material 22 to the compaction shoe 51. Furthermore, the web 201 provides structural support to the tow material 22. This may be particularly useful in relation to delicate (e.g. thin) tow material 22.
• the sensor 401 could take a number of different forms and another type of possible optical sensor is a camera which may capture and analyse images of the tow material 22.
• Non-optical sensors may be used and these may include, for example, an ultrasonic sensor.
• the operations of the tension control system 7 and/or the web mechanism 200 and/or the slip compensation mechanism 400 may be controlled by the controller 73 which may be executing instructions using the or each processor 73a (the instructions being stored on the computer readable medium 73c).
• Embodiments therefore, may include the instructions which may form a computer program.
• Embodiments also include the computer readable medium storing those instructions.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Composite Materials (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Robotics (AREA)
• Moulding By Coating Moulds (AREA)
• Folding Of Thin Sheet-Like Materials, Special Discharging Devices, And Others (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (1)

Citations (13)

• 2020
  • 2020-10-09 US US18/245,646 patent/US20230311430A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-10-09 JP JP2023518412A patent/JP7665018B2/ja active Active
  • 2020-10-09 KR KR1020237012342A patent/KR20230121031A/ko active Pending
  • 2020-10-09 EP EP20825153.8A patent/EP4204218B1/en active Active
  • 2020-10-09 WO PCT/GB2020/052536 patent/WO2022058703A1/en not_active Ceased
• 2025
  • 2025-04-08 JP JP2025063707A patent/JP2025100641A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (13)

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