SAMPE Journal - November/December 2020 - 7

INTRODUCTION
Composites manufacturing, like other manufacturing techniques, is experiencing significant, rapid changes to integrate digital technologies, that are important but are rapidly saturating the manufacturing domain. Several of these
are of secondary concern and not the most primary changes currently necessary for improved automation. We are seeing examples such as digital twins,
advanced automation, artificial intelligence, industrial internet of things and
others. This rush of digital technologies integration in manufacturing is seen
as the key to unlocking new paradigms in composites manufacturing that are
not attainable with today's standards. In the world of composites manufacturing, getting a new design to the manufacturing floor is facing critical decision
and priority challenges of its own, even without the so-called 'design' steps required by engineering manufacturers.
Composites started with a promise: you can tailor the design to create 'just
enough' product without any excess weight and alter it into any shape. The
reality of the process is far from the promise. The industry fell into constant
orientations, for many reasons, ranging from manufacturing to certifications
and regulations. Then from there, we transitioned into hand layup with its potential errors, dedicated processes such as pultrusion, filament winding, and
all the way to generic placement such as automated tape laying (ATL) and automated fiber placement (AFP).
AFP is a manufacturing technique used to fabricate complex advanced air
vehicle structures that are lightweight with superior qualities (such as corrosion
resistance and lower maintenance cycles). For example, this process is heavily
used in the manufacturing of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus's 350, as
well as multiple transportation vehicles. The fundamental advancement is the
utilization of reinforcements in the format of fibers giving them higher properties (namely strength and stiffness) in contrast to their bulk format.
AFP has evolved drastically, from the first patent describing 'using tows' in
1974 and now to the modular and high accuracy robotic platforms we have
today (Figure 1). AFP is seen as the defacto method to provide sufficient agility
and flexibility to manufacture many different complex shapes, but it requires a
cycle that is still open loop, not automated (in spite of the A in AFP). It requires
extensive studies, analysis, and expertise - that sometimes is not available - to
manufacture airworthy parts.
This article is going to discuss a neXt Automated Fiber Placement (referred
to as neXt AFP for the remainder of the article) that my research team is working on at the University of South Carolina's McNAIR Center. It is the result of
comprehensive and detailed work conducted over the last 5 years and sets the
path for how automation in the context of composites manufacturing can leap
forward.
Figure 1. Evolution of automated fiber placement (Copyright Brasington/
Harik).

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SAMPE Journal - November/December 2020

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