Rosemann, H.H.RosemannGebauer, I.I.GebauerBraun, R.R.BraunDörsch, C.C.Dörsch2022-03-142022-03-142017https://publica.fraunhofer.de/handle/publica/402031Start-up of an automated system for composite part production largely determines the cost effects and time to production, especially for large parts made on versatile systems and small lots/single item production. All these factors are combined in molds for large composite parts and in novel processes like fiber placement and automated surface activation of the actual parts. To improve the set-up and reduce machine time when manufacturing large scale multi-material composite parts, Fraunhofer IWES has set up a generalized integrated digital tool chain. The part geometry and multi-material information generated in CAD is directly employed for mold design as well as programming part manufacturing processes. By building up a machine model, Fraunhofer IWES is able to simulate processes from mold milling to part production offline, avoiding collisions and reachability issues and enabling process planners to optimize the setup in advance of any physical works on the shop floor, thereby greatly reducing start-up times and increasing confidence in the resulting programming. Fraunhofer IWES has evaluated this toolchain for an advanced direct tooling approach, further reducing time to market and accelerating implementation of blade design changes. This work included manufacturing a full scale wind turbine rotor blade mold in the Blade Maker Demo Center with its multi-functional carbon fiber gantry robot.enconference paper