The Boeing Company

Andrew R Mallow

Daniel David Bloch

Charles A Rhodes

Roy Lewis Barr

A composite fiber placement mid-span redirect device (10) mounted on a fiber placement assembly (12) guides a plurality of composite material tows (14) along a fiber path from a material supply creel (20) to a fiber placement head (30) during a composite forming process. The mid-span redirect device (10) includes a frame assembly (38) to which a plurality of outer swivel roller assemblies (80) and a plurality of inner swivel roller assemblies (90) are attached. Each outer swivel roller assembly (80) contains an outer roller (82), an outer capture roller (84), an outer swivel bracket assembly (86), and a counterbalancing member (88). Each inner swivel assembly (90) contains an inner roller (92), an inner swivel bracket assembly (96), and a counterbalancing member (98). The outer swivel assemblies (80) and inner swivel assemblies (90) work in concert with one another to accommodate six axes of motion from a fiber placement assembly (12), and simultaneously allow the fiber tows (14) to move bi-directionally, both towards the material supply creel (20) and alternately towards the fiber placement head (30), without inducing twisting of the fiber tows (14).

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Florissant, MO, United States of America

Andrew R Mallow