The Boeing Company

Eric J Walker

John Dempsey Morris

Garrett C Hanson

Erik Lund

Silas Lawton Studley

Bruce S Howard

Mark C Boberg

Mark S Bunker

Derek J Flolid

Matthew R Desjardien

Stephen Glade Holley

Benjamin Bowen Lee

Michael Karas

Derek Willis

John D O'Connell

Blake Rafferty

John D O'CONNELL

An apparatus for forming a material layer onto a form tool may include at least one nosepiece configured to laterally sweep a ply carrier onto a form tool contour. The apparatus may include a pair of tension arms configured to support opposing lateral sides of a ply carrier having a material layer mounted to a lower surface thereof. The apparatus may include one or more actuators configured to position the tension arms during forming of the ply carrier to the form tool contour. The one or more actuators may be configured to sense and control lateral tension in the ply carrier during forming of the ply carrier to the form tool contour.

Apparatus and method for automated layup of composite structures

Growing community of inventors

Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Eric J Walker