Advanced laser in-situ joining for continuous co-consolidation of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic laminates

Advanced laser in-situ joining (CONTIjoin) is a newly developed process for continuous co-consolidation of multidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic laminates onto a substrate material. In contrast to traditional lay up techniques, like automated fiber placement (AFP) or automated tape laying (ATL), the CONTIjoin process is capable of continuous in-situ co-consolidation of laminates with up to six plies instead of single-layer unidirectional tapes. In the process, a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser in combination with highly dynamic beam deflection is used to heat up the joining partners in the mating area, while a pyrometer feeds temperature information into a control circuit to maintain a high set temperature accuracy. Without further autoclave post-processing, over 90 % of the mechanical performance of a static heat press co-consolidation was shown in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) tests. The results are part of the Clean Sky 2 campaign for joining two thermoplastic half-shells of the full-scale multifunctional fuselage demonstrator (MFFD).