Hand layup: understanding the manual process

Elkington, Michael P; Bloom, David; Ward, Charlotte; Chatzimichali, Anna; Potter, KD

doi:10.1179/2055035915y.0000000003

Cited by 26 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition to longer flow distances, the low DOI will limit the ability to rework plies (lift and reposition) when required. Only practical experience will determine how serious these drawbacks will be [33]. However, the advantages imparted by the short breathe-out distances in semi-pregs (enhancing robustness to the VBO manufacturing process) are expected to outweigh these drawbacks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and application of discontinuous resin distribution patterns for semi-pregs

Schechter

Grunenfelder

Nutt

2020

Advanced Manufacturing: Polymer & Composites Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vacuum-bag-only (VBO) prepregs fabricated with discontinuous resin (semi-pregs) on a unidirectional fiber bed reportedly exhibit high through-thickness permeability and yield highquality laminates, even under adverse process conditions, such as poor vacuum or long outtimes. In this work, semi-pregs were fabricated using fiber beds of various weaves, fiber types, and areal weights (200-670 GSM). Flat and curved laminates were produced and characterized, confirming that porosity-free parts can be manufactured from a range of constituent materials using VBO semi-pregs. Contoured laminates were produced with negligible porosity, although a slight increase in bulk factor of prepreg plies was observed (D$0.1). In addition, design considerations and limitations for the fabrication of semi-pregs were presented. The findings demonstrate that polymer film dewetting can be used effectively to produce semi-pregs that yield porosity-free laminates via VBO processing, imparting robustness to out-of-autoclave cure of prepreg laminates.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and application of discontinuous resin distribution patterns for semi-pregs

Schechter

Grunenfelder

Nutt

2020

Advanced Manufacturing: Polymer & Composites Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Elkington et al [77] highlight the importance to understand the techniques and practices used in manual layup when considering the automated layup of complex parts. The developed methods and technologies for automated layup and forming presented in this thesis have to a large extent been based on current manual manufacturing practices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite being a common manufacturing method, it is interesting to note that the manual layup step is a sparsely documented process that requires a high degree of craftsmanship among operators preforming the process [75,77]. However, in recent years in-depth studies to increase the understanding of manual layup have been performed, and the results from the studies have been used as a basis for both improving the manual layup and developing automated methods [75,77].…”

Section: Manual Layup Of Prepregmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sequential approach used for manual layup, where the operator continuously evaluates the outcome of one action during the layup in order to determine the next step in the layup, makes the layup of complex shapes a complicated endeavor to automate [75,77]. Chatzimichali and Potter [12] highlight the importance of understanding the unique material properties of prepreg materials when developing automated solutions, as they suggest that the lack of automation alternatives for prepreg layup might be caused by a lack of material knowledge among robot application companies.…”

Section: Pick-and-place Solutions For Prepreg Layupmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Automated layup and forming of prepreg laminates

Björnsson¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Composite materials like carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) present highly appealing material properties, as they can combine high strength with low weight. In aerospace applications, these properties help to realize lightweight designs that can reduce fuel consumption. Within the aerospace industry, the use of these types of materials has increased drastically with the introduction of a new generation of commercial aircraft. This increased use of CFRP drives a need to develop more rational manufacturing methods.For aerospace applications, CFRP products are commonly manufactured from a material called prepreg, which consists of carbon fibers impregnated with uncured polymer resin. There are two dominant manufacturing technologies for automated manufacturing using prepreg, automated tape layup and automated fiber placement. These two technologies are not suitable for all types of products, either due to technical limitations or a combination of high investment costs and low productivity. Automation alternatives to the two dominant technologies have been attempted, but have so far had limited impact. Due to the lack of automation alternatives, manual manufacturing methods are commonly employed for the manufacturing of complex-shaped products in low to medium manufacturing volumes.The research presented in this thesis aims to explore how automated manufacturing systems for the manufacturing of complex CFRP products made from prepreg can be designed so that they meet the needs and requirements of the aerospace industry, and are suitable for low to medium production volumes. In order to explore the area, a demonstrator-centered research approach has been employed. A number of demonstrators, in the form of automated manufacturing cells, have been designed and tested with industrial and research partners. The demonstrators have been used to identify key methods and technologies that enable this type of manufacturing, and to analyze some of these methods and technologies in detail. The demonstrators have also been used to map challenges that affect the development of enabling methods and technologies.Automated manufacturing of products with complex shapes can be simplified by dividing the process into two steps. Thin layers of prepreg are laid up on top of each other to form flat laminates that are formed to the desired shape in subsequent forming operations. The key methods and technologies required to automate such a system are methods and technologies for automated prepreg layup, the automated removal of backing paper and the forming of complex shapes. The main challenges are the low structural rigidity and tacky nature of prepreg materials, the extensive quality requirements in the aerospace industry and the need for the systems to handle a wide array of prepreg shapes.The demonstrators show that it is possible to automate the manufacturing of complexshaped products using automated layup and forming of prepreg laminates. Tests using the demonstrators indicate that it is possible to meet the quality req...

show abstract

“…Consequentemente, compósitos tem uso crescente em aplicações que vão desde substituição de materiais tradicionais em partes funcionais de carros de corrida, componentes de aeronaves e acessórios esportivos, mas também em acessórios corriqueiros de baixo custo consumidos por indústrias automobilísticas (ELKINGTON et al, 2015). Há uma alta demanda de novos materiais que combinam simplicidade na produção, elevado padrão de qualidade, fornecimento em grande escala e baixo custo de fabricação.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Fibra de sisal modificada com óxido de alumínio hidratado para emprego como reforço em compósitos de matriz resina epóxi

Pinheiro¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Hand layup: understanding the manual process

Cited by 26 publications

References 9 publications

Design and application of discontinuous resin distribution patterns for semi-pregs

Design and application of discontinuous resin distribution patterns for semi-pregs

Automated layup and forming of prepreg laminates

Fibra de sisal modificada com óxido de alumínio hidratado para emprego como reforço em compósitos de matriz resina epóxi

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About