JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #83 - August/September 2013 - 67

Contacts:
Laser-assisted fibre placement system “hybridTLK”:
daniel.werner@ipt.fraunhofer.de
Laser-assisted tape placement and local reinforcement:
alexander.kermer-meyer@ipt.fraunhofer.de
Thermoforming and functionalization:
henning.janssen@ipt.fraunhofer.de
Department for Fiber-reinforced
Plastics and Laser System Technology
michael.emonts@ipt.fraunhofer.de
Fig. 7: The new laser-assisted fiber placement system »hybridTLK« developed by Fraunhofer IPT

to be cooled to prevent tacking of the thermoset prepregs. Different tape widths can be handled. A modular construction and
modular software architecture are essential to build the all-in-one
laser-assisted thermoplastic tape, thermoset prepreg and dry-fibre
placement unit. The modular assembly facilitates the integration of
an IR camera, which generates many valuable data concerning heat
distribution in the nip-point area. It can be extended by pyrometers,
which in contrast measure a single point but have major advantages
in terms of measurement speed and cost.
In the tape placement system, every process parameter is logged over
time in order for the sophisticated data management software to
steer the process and for repeating actions. The thermoplastic tape,
thermoset prepreg and dry-fibre placement unit is especially developed to help SMEs fulfil orders with changing materials without the
need for different placement units.

Conclusion
Optimal use of the potential for lightweight design can be achieved
through mass- and cost-optimized design of fibre-reinforced plastics.
Fraunhofer IPT develops and implements methods for economic
high-volume series production of thermoplastic fibre-reinforced
composites, combining carbon and glass fibres to achieve load-,
mass- and cost-optimized hybrid- or multi-material structures. The
combination of laser-assisted tape placement and thermoforming
enables short cycle times, integration of functional elements as well
as an economic and fully-automated process chain. n

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the European Community for
funding the large-scale EU project “FibreChain - Integrated
Process Chain for Automated and Flexible Production of FibreReinforced Plastic Products” as part of the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement no.
263385. They also want to thank their industrial and academic
partners.
References:
[MIT12]
Mitschang, P.; Holschuh, R.; Becker, D.: Verfahrenskombination für mehr Wirtschaftlichkeit des FVK-Einsatzes im
Automobilbau, Lightweight Design 04/2012, S.14-19
[BRE10] Brecher, C.; Kermer-Meyer, A.; Dubratz, M.; Emonts, M.:
Thermoplastische Organobleche für die Großserie, ATZ, Special
Karosserie und Bleche, October 2010, S.28-32
[BRE11]
Brecher, C.; Stimpfl, J.; Kermer-Meyer, A.; Dubratz, M.;
Emonts, M.: Load-optimised tailored thermoplastic FRP blanks
for mass production, JEC Composites Magazine, No. 64, April
2011, pp.95-97
[BRE12]
Brecher, C.; Kermer-Meyer, A.; Werner, D.; Stimpfl,
J.; Janssen, H.; Emonts, M.: Customized solutions for laserassisted tape placement, JEC Composites Magazine, No. 76,
October 2012, pp.70-73
[BRE13] Brecher, C.; Emonts, M., Kermer-Meyer, A.; Janssen, H.;
Werner, D.: Wirtschaftliche Prozesskette zur funktionsintegrierten Herstellung von belastungsoptimierten thermoplastischen
Faserverbund-Bauteilen, Lightweight Design 03/2013, pp.38-43

More information
One of the central tasks of the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT is to transfer the findings of cutting-edge research projects directly
into an industrial environment. This is why the Institute focuses its research efforts on production technologies with large potential in industrial
applications. Fraunhofer IPT provides a wide range of technological products and services in process technology, production machines, metrology,
quality management and technology management.
Its core activities are bilateral projects with the industry, the additional research projects being funded by the BMBF, the AiF, the Land North RhineWestphalia, programmes of the German Research Council (DFG), the publicly-funded “Sonderforschungsbereiche” and the European Commission.
The customers and cooperation partners of the Fraunhofer IPT come from all parts of the manufacturing industry, particularly from the automotive
industry and its suppliers, tool and die making, fine mechanics, the optical industry, and aviation and space technology.

No83 August - September 2013 /

jec composites magazine 67
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #83 - August/September 2013

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