Digitizing the Production of Carbon Fiber Sheet Molding Compounds

Recently, it has been discovered that carbon fibers polarize light, providing an opportunity to detect the fiber orientation on the surface of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer parts using polarization imaging. In this work, the orientation of the fibers on the surface of a carbon fiber-reinforced Sheet Molding Compound (C-SMC) semi-finished product is measured during continuous production, enabling real-time quality control and complete digitization of the material’s fiber orientation information. The polarization camera captures images of the material at defined time intervals, creating an image stack. These images are then stitched to create a continuous image of the entire semi-finished material product roll. Fiber orientation information at any location can then be digitally extracted to create virtual-cutting and stacking plans for optimal usage of material from the roll for compression molding parts. Moreover, the images provide the initial fiber orientation information, essential for accurate numerical simulation of the C-SMC compression molding process.