Increasing cost and eco efficiency for selective tape placement and forming by adaptive process design

The automated placement of continuous fiber-reinforced polymer prepregs (pre-impregnated) is a generative manufacturing technology for composites. Particularly laser-assisted tape placement of unidirectional continuous fiber-reinforced tapes provides potentials for highly flexible composite manufacturing. Whereas the single process of tape placement to generatively build up load carrying structures was already optimized in several research activities and projects, an integrated process chain approach promises further increases in cost and eco efficiency. An adaptive process design considering interdependencies between selective tape placement and a subsequent forming improves the entire process chain. Due to the knowledge of process interdependencies, the advantages of high speed placement on predetermined load carrying areas can be fully exploited. The system and process design for this adaptive manufacturing approach, the underlying assessment methodology as well as its application on a manufacturing process chain for structural composite parts are presented in this paper.