Authors
Max Kirkpatrick, Alex Brasington, Christopher Sacco, Joshua Halbritter, Roudy Wehbe, Ramy Harik
Conference
CAMX – The Composites and Advanced Materials Exp.
Abstract
Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) is a composite manufacturing technique utilizing a robotic or gantry-based system and an attached fiber placement head to lay a prescribed number of tows of composite material, additively forming composite structures. This technique has enabled increased versatility and throughput with increased accuracy and reliability when compared with other composite manufacturing methods. However, the current state-of-the-art AFP process is often incredibly complex, employing multiple design and programming environments and advanced computer simulations to create the desired complex robotic operations. Additionally, understanding the machine during the manufacturing process and the factors that lead to both predicted and unavoidable manufacturing defects is incredibly difficult. This work presents a manufacturing workflow and environment utilizing a digital twin system to act as a Rosetta Stone for interfacing between desperate design and programming environments. The digital twin system used in this workflow allows for flexible programming of the machine, and a unified programming environment for all devices in the cell. This work also constitutes the first steps towards the creation of a closed loop AFP system, allowing for data gathered from the machine to be correlated with predicted manufacturing data from the digital twin. Ultimately this model will improve manufacturing time, increase useable process knowledge, and enhance the probability of increasing manufacturing quality with each successive layup performed.
Keywords
Automated Fiber Placement, Digital Twin
Citation
Max Kirkpatrick, Alex Brasington, Christopher Sacco, Joshua Halbritter, Roudy Wehbe, & Ramy Harik. (October 2021). Digital Twin As A Manufacturing Rosetta Stone In Automated Fiber Placement. CAMX – The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo.
Documents