System for the production of fiber composite components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11027504-B2
Application number	US-201615555056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2016
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

Various embodiments relate to a system for the production of fiber composite components, having at least a first fiber placement machine for the application of fiber layers to a workpiece, and a further processing station, distinct from the fiber placement machine, for the modification of the workpiece, wherein the workpiece can be brought both to the fiber placement machine and to the further processing station by means of an automated conveyor means. Various additional embodiments are also disclosed herein.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for production of fiber composite components, comprising:
at least a first fiber placement machine configured to apply fiber layers to a workpiece, the first fiber placement machine comprising a placement head for laying fibers on the workpiece and a tool table adapted for linear movement along a first axis and for pivoting about a vertical pivot axis; and
a further processing station, distinct from the first fiber placement machine, for modification of the workpiece,
wherein the workpiece can be brought both to the first fiber placement machine and to the further processing station by an automated conveyor.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a second fiber placement machine, which is spatially separated from the first fiber placement machine and is connected to the first fiber placement machine by the automated conveyor.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 , comprising a number of fiber placement machines as parallel processing stations, which perform the same processing steps on simultaneously processed workpieces.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein a number of fiber placement machines perform different processing steps on a workpiece one after the other as sequential processing stations.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system comprises at least one buffer station for receiving, storing and transferring a number of workpieces.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the further processing station comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of: a forming device, a temperature chamber and a painting device.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the automated conveyor comprises a loading device, by which loading and unloading of the first fiber placement machine from one side only is facilitated.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the loading device is configured as a rotational exchange device, which comprises a rotatable holder for receiving at least two workpieces.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a placement head of the first fiber placement machine is adapted for displacement in a vertical plane, wherein an angle between the vertical plane and a loading path of the first fiber placement machine is between 0° and 30°.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a placement head of the first fiber placement machine is adapted for displacement in a vertical plane, wherein a fiber coil store of the first fiber placement machine comprises a plurality of fiber coils having mutually parallel coil axes, and wherein an angle between the coil axes and the vertical plane is between 60° and 90°.

11. A fiber placement machine for the manufacture of fiber layers with a system as claimed in claim 1 , comprising:
a tool table for feeding a workpiece in a direction of feeding;
a placement head for the application of fibers to the workpiece; and
a fiber supply unit for feeding a number of fiber strands to the placement head;
wherein the number of fiber strands on the placement head are combined into a fibrous web for application to the workpiece;
wherein the placement head is adapted for displacement relative to the fiber supply unit in a direction of laying; and
wherein a clamping device for the releasable clamping of the fiber strands is arranged on the placement head, wherein laying of a section of the fibrous web on the workpiece is effected, after the fiber strands have been advanced around a displacement travel by the placement head, so that no fibers are drawn from the fiber supply unit during the application of the fibers to the workpiece.

12. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fiber supply unit is disposed in a locationally fixed manner, wherein the placement head is movable only in precisely one plane relative to the fiber supply unit.

13. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the clamping device is released during laying of the section of the fibrous web.

14. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the clamping device comprises at least one pinch roller.

15. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the placement head comprises two feeds extending at an angle with respect to one another, wherein by a first of the feeds a first group of fiber strands and by the second of the feeds a second group of fiber strands are guided into a crossing region, in order to combine the two groups of fiber strands into the fibrous web.

16. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fibers are adapted for separation by a cutting device arranged on the placement head, wherein the cutting device comprises a plurality of separately controllable cutting members, which are able to separate different parts of the fibers transversely to the direction of laying.

17. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the cutting device comprises an actuator member for the actuation of at least one of the cutting members, wherein the actuator member is formed separately from the cutting member and is arranged on a removable upper part of the placement head.

18. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , comprising at least one pre-feed roller for the driven feed on the placement head, wherein the pre-feed roller is arranged between the clamping device and a compacting roller of the placement head on the outlet side.

19. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fiber placement machine is constructed entirely on a machine frame.

20. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the fiber placement machine comprises a climatically sealed housing.

21. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the workpiece is arranged on an automatically transportable pallet.

22. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 21 , wherein a surface of the pallet supporting the workpiece is inclined by an angle of less than 30 degrees with respect to a vertical.

23. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 22 , wherein the direction of laying extends in a plane which is inclined at less than 30 degrees with respect to the vertical.

24. The fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the respective fiber strands are wound onto interchangeable coils, wherein the coils sit on axes of rotation that are driven against an unwinding direction, wherein the drives for the axes of rotation exhibit a torque limitation.

25. A method for laying a fibrous web on a workpiece by a fiber placement machine as claimed in claim 9 , comprising:
clamping the fibers to be laid in a clamping device of a placement head;
moving the placement head relative to a fiber supply unit into a starting position, wherein the fibers are drawn from the fiber supply unit about a displacement travel;
releasing the clamping device;
moving the placement head from the starting position into an end position during laying of the fibers on the workpiece, so that no fibers are drawn from the fiber supply unit during the application of the fibers to the workpiece.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25 , wherein the fibers are moved with respect to the placement head after releasing the clamping device by a driven pre-feed roller, wherein the fibers are not drawn from the fiber supply unit by the pre-feed roller.

Assignees

• Broetje Automation Gmbh

Inventors

• Boge Christian
• Meyer Matthias
• Peters Axel

Classifications

• B29C70/38 Primary

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

• B29C33/34

  movable, e.g. to or from the moulding station · CPC title

• B29C70/34 Primary

  and shaping or impregnating by compression {, i.e. combined with compressing after the lay-up operation} · CPC title