Fives Machining Systems, Inc.

Cincinnati Machine, LLC

Nordson Corporation

Dieffenbacher Gmbh Maschinen-und Anlagenbau

Dieffenbacher Gmbh Maschinen- Und Anlangenbau

Mag Ias Gmbh

Robert E Borgmann

Don O Evans

Christina M McClard

Wendell Beachy

Michael N Grimshaw

Stephen J Albers

R William Kneifel, Ii

Jeffrey W Causey

R William Kneifel Ii

A fiber placement system for manufacturing composite components includes at least one material storage enclosure including a material spool assembly, a swiveling roller assembly, and a redirect roller assembly, for each tow to be produced per course, at least one material feeding/cutting station configured with a nip roller drive system, and a cutting mechanism, at least one material transfer station configured with an individual, moveable guide tray for each tow to be produced per course, the moveable guide trays respectively being configured with a vacuum system, and at least one layup station comprising a vacuum table/layup surface, and a pick-and-place device equipped with an end-effector.

Methods and systems for manufacturing advanced composite components

A fiber placement machine has a fiber placement head and a K-axis housing that is supplied with fiber tow from a creel. The fiber placement head is mounted on the front of the K-axis housing. The fiber placement head has a compaction roller and a cut, clamp, and restart mechanism positioned adjacent to the compaction roller that receives fiber tow from the K-axis housing. A separable coupling connects the fiber placement head to the K-axis housing, whereby the fiber placement head may be disconnected from the K-axis housing for docking purposes.

Dockable cut clamp and restart mechanism for a fiber placement head

A system for applying composite fiber to a lay-up tool has a fixed creel for supplying fiber to the fiber placement dispensing head and a fixed arm having a first end attached to the creel and having a second end attached to the dispensing head. The dispensing head is fixed on the end of the arm. A robot having a first and second pivot axis and at least a first wrist supports the lay-up tool. The robot manipulates the tool for application of fiber from the head to the tool. Manipulating the tool instead of the dispensing head allows the path length for the fiber between the creel and head to be fixed in length and orientation during application of fiber to the tool.

Robotic based fiber placement cell with stationary dispensing head and creel

A fiber placement machine includes a movable wrist with a fiber placement head at one end of the wrist. A roller system for delivering fibers to the fiber placement head includes a J-axis roller located spaced from the ends of the wrist, a K-axis roller at the end of the wrist that supports the head, and an A-axis roller at the opposite end of the wrist. The axis of the K-axis rollers swivel depending on the rotation of the head, and the A-axis rollers swivel as a function of the swiveling of the K-axis rollers. As the A-axis rollers swivel, at least one end of the A-axis roller is displaced toward the J-axis roller to maintain a constant path length for the fiber tows between the A-axis roller and the J-axis roller.

Swiveling and tilting roller axis for web guiding in a fiber placement machine

A fiber placement machine has a creel that supplies a fiber band to a presser member that applies the fiber band to a tool or form. The presser member is part of a head that is attached to the creel of the machine by a wrist that provides movement about yaw, pitch and roll axes with respect to the creel. The fiber band is supplied by a fiber band delivery system that is associated with the wrist and that is characterized by a capability to twist the fiber band in two stages about the yaw axis or the roll axis.

Fiber placement machine

Apparatus for applying uniform layers of adhesive to contoured surfaces of a substrate comprises, in one embodiment, a die head mounted to an adhesive dispenser and having contoured first and second die faces offset relative to each other. One of the die faces is operable to contact the contoured surface of the substrate, and a contoured slot outlet in fluid communication with the adhesive dispenser is disposed between the die faces for applying adhesive material to the contoured surface of the substrate. In another embodiment of the invention for simultaneously applying adhesive to multiple non-coplanar surfaces of a substrate, the die head comprises multiple non-coplanar die faces, each having first and second die face portions offset relative to each other. One of the die face portions of each multiple die face is operable to contact a respective non-coplanar surface of the substrate. A slot outlet communicates with each of the multiple die faces for applying adhesive material to each of the multiple surfaces of the substrate. In yet another embodiment of the invention for applying adhesive material to flexible members of a substrate, a die head comprises first and second die face portions offset relative to each other and contoured to provide a uniform layer of adhesive to the flexible member of the substrate. Methods of applying uniform layers of adhesive to contoured surfaces of a substrate are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Maineville, OH, United States of America

Robert E Borgmann