To fully exploit the potential of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (FRTC) and to achieve a broad industrial application, automated manufacturing systems are crucial. Investigations at Fraunhofer IPT have proven that the use of laser system technology in processing FRTC allows to achieve high throughput, quality, flexibility, reproducibility and out-of-autoclave processing simultaneously. As 90% of the FRP in Europe1 are glass fiber-reinforced a high impact can be achieved by introducing laser-assisted processing with all its benefits to glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (GFRTC). Fraunhofer IPT has developed the diode laser-assisted tape placement (laying and winding) to process carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTC) for years. However, this technology cannot be transferred unchanged to process milky transparent GFRTC prepregs (preimpregnated fibers). Due to the short wavelength (approx. 980 nm) and therefore high transmission less than 20% of the diode laser energy is absorbed as heat into non-colored GFRTC prepregs. Hence, the use of a different wave length, e.g. CO2-laser (10.6 m) with more than 90% laser absorption, is required to allow the full potential of laser-assisted processing of GFRTC. Also the absorption of CO2-laser radiation at the surface compared to volume absorption of diode laser radiation is beneficial for the interlaminar joining of GFRTC. Fraunhofer IPT is currently developing and investigating the CO2-laser-assisted tape placement including new system, beam guiding, process and monitoring technology to enable a resource and energy efficient mass production of GFRP composites, e.g. pipes, tanks, masts. The successful processing of non-colored glass fiber-reinforced Polypropylene (PP) and Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) has already been proven

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Innovative manufacturing of 3D-lightweight components new insights in the processing of continuous fibrereinforced thermoplastic prepregs ChrIstIan BreCher From 1995 to 2001 prof. Dr.-ing. christian Brecher was member of the research staff and chief engineer of the department of machine technology at the laboratory for machine tools and production engineering (WZl). after a 3 year employment as head of machine development and head of machine design at Ds technologie Werkzeugmaschinenbau gmbH in 2004 he received a professorship at the chair of machine tools of rWtH aachen and got a member of the board of directors of the Fraunhofer institute for production technology ipt.

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The Fraunhofer IPT has recently developed a self-diagnosing laser system technology which can monitor the process parameters of all laser system components and supports the adjustment of the beam guidance of CO2 laser production systems with large ranges of travel. The intelligent system furthermore interprets the correlated laser beam parameter responses and proposes appropriate measures for preventive maintenance. The new assisted beam guidance adjustment bases upon active reflector modules adjusting with a large angular range of average ±0.8ring operator at maximum resolution and a position-sensitive detector for the position of the pilot laser