Material preparation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10155348-B2
Application number	US-201615137832-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2016
Priority date	Apr 13, 2010
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A material preparation device is provided. The material preparation device includes a bias-ply assembly, a feedstock assembly and an application head. The bias-ply assembly is configured to pass a bias-ply backing material along a first path. The feedstock assembly is configured to pass a feedstock along a second path that crosses the first path at a select angle. The feedstock includes resin pre-impregnated fiber-reinforced material (pre-preg) having the fibers at a first orientation relative to an edge of the feedstock. The application head is configured to transfer the pre-preg from the feedstock to the bias-ply backing material at a location where the first path crosses the second path to form a bias-ply with the fibers of the pre-preg having a second, different orientation relative to an edge of the formed bias-ply.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material preparation device, the device comprising:
a bias-ply assembly configured to pass bias-ply backing material along a first path;
a feedstock assembly configured to pass a feedstock along a second path that crosses the first path at a select angle, the feedstock including fiber-reinforced material having the fibers at a first orientation relative to an edge of the feedstock;
an application head configured to transfer the fiber-reinforced material from the feedstock to the bias-ply backing material at a location where the first path crosses the second path to form a bias-ply with the fibers of the fiber-reinforced material having a second different orientation relative to an edge of the formed bias-ply, wherein the bias-ply backing material is configured to be removed from the bias-ply during formation of a part on a tool, wherein the application head comprises a mounting feature configured to have a let-off supply of the feedstock of the feedstock assembly positioned on and carried by the application head, and wherein both the application head and the let-off supply of the feedstock carried on the application head are configured to move in unison relative to and independent from the bias-ply assembly and the first path;
a cutter configured to selectively cut the fiber-reinforced material of the feedstock, the cutter configured to be positioned at the location where the feedstock crosses the bias-ply backing material, wherein the cutter is configured to traverse at least a portion of a width of the feedstock to cut the fiber-reinforced material of the feedstock; and
a controller configured to:
control the bias-ply assembly to pass the bias-ply backing material;
control the feedstock assembly to pass the feedstock;
control the application head in transferring the fiber-reinforced material onto the bias-ply backing material; and
control the cutter to traverse the cutter along at least a portion of the fiber-reinforced material of the feedstock.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bias-ply assembly is adjustable relative to the feedstock assembly to selectively adjust the select angle that the second path crosses the first path in order to position the fibers of the bias-ply at a desired orientation relative to the edge of the formed bias-ply.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cutter is configured to selectively cut the fiber-reinforced material of the feedstock without substantially cutting a feedstock backing material of the feedstock.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the bias-ply assembly further comprises:
a bias-ply backing material roll-off configured to hold a roll of the bias-ply backing material; and
a bias-ply roll-up configured to hold a roll of formed bias-ply.

5. The device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a bias-ply backing material roll-off tension motor configured to rotate and properly tension the biasply backing material roll-off; and
a bias-ply roll-up tension motor configured to rotate and tension the bias-ply roll-up, the bias-ply backing material roll-off tension motor and the bias-ply roll-up tension motor controlled, at least in part, by the controller.

6. The device of claim 5 , further comprising:
a bias-ply backing tension sensor in communication with the controller; and
a bias-ply backing roll diameter sensor in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control the bias-ply backing material roll-off tension motor and the bias-ply roll-up tension motor based on communications from at least one of the bias-ply backing tension sensor and the bias-ply backing roll diameter sensor to achieve a desired tension in the bias-ply backing material.

7. The device of claim 4 , wherein the bias-ply assembly further comprises:
a roll-off accumulator configured to be engaged with the bias-ply backing material, the roll-off accumulator configured to move select distances in relation to the bias-ply backing material roll-off; and
a roll-up accumulator configured to be engaged with the formed bias-ply, the roll-up accumulator configured to move select distances in relation to the bias-ply roll-up, wherein the controller is configured to use the positioning of the roll-off accumulator and the roll-up accumulator to, at least in part, control a desired tension in the bias-ply backing material and the formed bias-ply.

8. The device of claim 4 , wherein the bias-ply assembly further comprises a vacuum conveyor configured to pass the bias-ply backing material along the first path while at least partially securing the bias-ply backing material to a surface of the vacuum conveyor.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the application head further comprises:
a first forming bar configured to selectively press the fiber-reinforced material from the feedstock onto the bias-ply backing material; and
a second forming bar configured to direct a feedstock backing material to a feedstock backing windup, wherein the first forming bar and the second forming bar are each coupled to at least one retaining bracket to prevent movement of the first forming bar relative to the second forming bar and the application head.

10. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a feedstock unwind tension motor configured to rotate the feedstock unwind; and
a feedstock backing windup tension motor configured to rotate the feedstock backing windup, the feedstock unwind tension motor and the feedstock backing windup tension motor controlled, at least in part, by the controller;
a feed tension sensor in communication with the controller configured to sense the tension in the feedstock; and
a feedstock roll diameter sensor in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control the feedstock unwind tension motor and the feedstock backing windup tension motor based, at least in part, on communications from at least one of the feed tension sensor and the feedstock roll diameter sensor to achieve a desired tension in the feedstock and the feedstock backing material.

11. The device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
a feed distance detector configured to determine the distance the feedstock has moved, the feed distance detector in communication with the controller;
a bias-ply backing distance detector configured to determine the distance the bias-ply backing material has moved, the bias-ply backing distance detector in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control placement of the feedstock on the bias-ply backing material based on the communications from the feed distance detector and the bias-ply backing distance detector;
a bias-ply alignment sensor configured to monitor the alignment of the bias-ply backing material, the bias-ply alignment sensor in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the device based, at least in part, on communications from the bias-ply alignment sensor;
a feedstock alignment sensor configured to monitor the alignment of the feedstock, the feedstock alignment sensor in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the device based, at least in part, on communications from the feedstock alignment sensor;
a defect detector configured to detect defects in the formed bias-ply; or
a backing treatment device configured to adjust the adhesive properties of the bias-ply backing material.

12. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a slitter device, the slitter device configured to slit the formed bias-ply along a length of the formed bias-ply into a select number of strips of at least one select width.

Assignees

• Orbital Atk Inc
• Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Inc

Inventors

• Slack Jason K
• Madsen Christopher J
• Jones Don C
• Benson Vernon M
• Turner Peter G
• Cope Ralph Douglas
• Ferrara Kimberly Ann
• Johnson Anthony Dale
• Case Michael James
• Brown Jesse Paul
• Gargel James
• Cope Steven Andrew
• Tarry Kyle Putnam

Classifications

• B29C70/545 Primary

  Perforating, cutting or machining during or after moulding · CPC title

• B29C70/38

  Automated lay-up, e.g. using robots, laying filaments according to predetermined patterns {(application heads for tyres B29D30/28)} · CPC title

• B29C70/20

  oriented in a single direction, e.g. roofing or other parallel fibres {(B29C70/083, B29C70/226 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B29C70/50

  for producing articles of indefinite length, e.g. prepregs, sheet moulding compounds [SMC] or cross moulding compounds [XMC] · CPC title

• B29K2105/243

  Partially cured · CPC title