Tape Laying / Fiber Placement

In modern aircraft construction, large quantities of aluminum components are being replaced by more complex parts made of fiber-reinforced materials primarily carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Most are structures on fuselage and wings. This reduces the weight and greatly simplifies assembly and logistics. For example, the fuselage of a Raytheon Hawker 4000 manufactured entirely of composite materials is composed of a mere seven parts, whereas conventionally constructed version has around 21,000 metal parts. While until recently manufacturing was mostly performed manually, the trend is now to automate the processes, two of which are particularly important: < Automatic tape laying for flat and slightly curved components such as wing cladding and < Fiber placement for more curved components such as fuselage segments.

Tape Laying / Fiber Placement: Intro

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Intro

Requirements

Construction of a 7-axis ber placement system for the manufacture of wing panels

In the tape laying process, tapes that are 75 to 300 mm wide are rolled on a flat form with each one being cut off appropriately on the basis of the contour at the end of a web. If this contour is too complex, separately precut tapes are employed. While laying out the tapes, each roll must be constantly placed perpendicular to the tape flow and tangential to the surface. Consequently, the machine must possess at least five axes (three linear and two rotary axes). In addition to the five main axes, there are typically five more axes for the rolls and cutting equipment. This process is only suitable for flat components, because tapes would form wrinkles at bulges. For this reason, in the manufacture of curved components the fiber placement process is utilized. Here, the tape usually consists of 32 parallel narrow tapes or cords, each of which can be cut off and threaded back in individually in accordance with the contour to be covered. The placement speed is 20 30 m/min. During the fiber placement process, the placement head is normally oriented to the surface. Furthermore, the placement roll is to be oriented perpendicular

to the movement of the web and in parallel to the surface, which requires at least six degrees of freedom. For flatter components such as wings, the machines employed are similar to those in tape laying but with an additional rotary axis in the placement head (three linear axes, three rotary axes). Components such as aircraft fuselage segments that are more curved are manufactured on 7-axis machines. In addition to the three linear axes and the three rotary axes in the placement head, an additional mandrel axis holds the workpiece.

This additional round table reduces the movements of the linear axes. The great weight of the mandrel (30 - 80 t) requires movements of the table to be as uniform as possible when the tapes are placed in the circumferential direction of the component or diagonally. If the material is placed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel and the table is stationary, 6-axis machining must be possible.

When workpieces up to 6.5 m in diameter and 10 m long are involved, already a slight error in positioning the table axis results in large errors on the surface of the component. This requires a correction mechanism that is simple to handle. High weights and dimensions make it difficult to bring the components exactly on the table. Any deviations due to tipping and shifting must be measured and can be compensated for directly.

Requirements at a Glance Tape Laying / Fiber Placement

Programming in workpiece coordinates for all machine types Easily performable correction of erroneous table positions Mismeasurement and on-line correction of erroneous workpiece positions Path-dependent control of cutter and rethreading units

Tape Laying / Fiber Placement: Requirements

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Programming in Workpiece Coordinates

Programming in workpiece coordinates for all machine types

The 5-axis transformation concept has demonstrated its excellence in the milling of complex structural components. It enables the programming of components in workpiece coordinates independently of specific kinematics. The procedure with 5-axis tape layer machines is identical to that with 5-axis fork head milling machines. During this process, the roll is positioned relative to this workpiece, just as during 5-axis circumferential milling. All that has to be taken into account is that the tool tip customarily rests in the middle of the roll and the basic orientation of the tool is perpendicular to the head orientation.

In the fiber placement process the situation is more complicated. The separate setting of the orientation of the head and the roll in the plane perpendicular to the head orientation require at least six axes and appropriate transformations. Two vectors are needed for the programming of the orientation. As with a 5-axis machine, the first (A3, B3, C3) defines the basic orientation of the placement head relative to the surface of the workpiece. The second (AN3, BN3, CN3) describes the orientation of the roll in the plane perpendicular to the first vector and normally points in the direction of the roll axis. Customarily, this makes

it possible to program the coordinates of the tool tip and the orientations independently of the concrete machine axis configuration. As an alternative, the orientation can also be placed directly on the basis of axes C1, A and C2. In the example at hand, the mandrel axis A2 is integrated into the transformation as the 7th axis. The rotation of the A2-axis changes the orientation of the placement head relative to the workpiece surface. This is factored in by the transformation which automatically calculates the correct position of the head relative to the surface whenever the A2-axis is rotated.

Naturally this also applies for the tool tip. Just imagine that only the A2-axis is being rotated: The machine follows in all linear axes of the A2-axis. The tool tip therefore remains in the same position on the surface of the cylinder. Turning the rotary axis also ensures that the orientation of head and roll relative to the cylinder surface remains constant.

Z Y X Tool tip X..., Y..., Z... C2 C1 A

A3=0 B3=0 C3=1

Y C1 X Tool tip X..., Y..., Z... C2

A3=0 B3=0 C3=1

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It is not necessary to forego the benets of transformations on 7-axis machines either, e. g., for fuselage segments

AN3=1 BN3=0 CN3=0

AN3=1 BN3=0 CN3=0

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Tape Laying / Fiber Placement: Solution

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Solution

Solution

Table Positions
Easy performable correction of erroneous table positions

Workpiece Positions
Mismeasurement and on-line correction of erroneous workpiece positions

Path-dependent Control
Path-dependent control of cutter and rethreading units

An erroneous position of the table or the rotary axes in the placement head can be corrected by appropriately changing the configuration machine data of the transformation. In the case at hand, it is readily possible to compensate for a situation in which the A-axes are not ideally parallel to the X-axis or the C-axes are not exactly parallel to the Z-axis.

Error on tooling postioning

In the case of 5-axis milling, erroneous clamps are corrected by frames that take into account any shifting or rotation of a Cartesian coordinate system compared to the ideal position on the machine. Frames generally describe transformations of one Cartesian coordinate system into a different one and they are described in greater accuracy in the chapter A02. To correct an erroneous position, the real position of the workpiece is determined, e.g., at the clamp on the basis of three precision balls. From the difference between the real and the ideal measuring points, the integrated function MEAFRAME automatically calculates the shift, rotation and tilt of the workpiece versus its ideal position.

Angular difference between theoretical vertical axis and real tooling

Z Y X

With synchronous actions it is possible to control the cutters as a function of position. These user-defined actions are processed in synch with the axis movements and handle the actual processing of workpieces in the background. The application times are defined by conditions and are not tied to NC block limits. Synchronous movement actions are always exerted in the interpolation cycle and it is possible to process several actions in the same interpolation cycle. During fiber placement it is therefore possible to monitor each individual lace in synchronization to the movement to ascertain whether a position for cutting or rethreading has been attained. If so, the outputs for the cuts are switched directly in the same interpolation cycle and the lace is cut or threaded in on the fly with positional accuracy. Likewise, during tape laying, the cutting equipment can be started with positional accuracy.

Tape Laying / Fiber Placement: Solution

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Functionality / Software Options with SINUMERIK 840D

2nd Additional Machining Channel and Maximum Memory Expansion 3D-Tool Radius Compensation Advanced Position Control Axial Coupling in Machine Coordinate System Axis Synchronisation, Gantry Axis Clearance Control Continued Machining at the Contour Corner Velocity Adaptation Cross-mode Action Dynamic Stiffness Control Electronic Gear Unit Evaluation of Internal Drive Variables Extended Stop and Retract (ESR) Fast Laser Switching Signal, Compile Cycle Generator Operation Interrupt Routines with High-Speed Retraction from the Contour Laser Clearance Control, Compile Cycle Laser Switching Signal, High Speed Machining Package 5-Axes, TRAORI Master/Slave for Drives Master Value Coupling and Curve Table Interpolation Measurement Level 2 Multi- Channel Sequence Programming NCU Link OEM-Transformation Oscillation Functions (block-related, modal and asynchronous) Path Velocity Dependent Analog Output Polynom-Interpolation Precontrol Acceleration Dependent Program Preprocessing Quadrant Error Compensation Retrace-Support, RESU-Compile-Cycle Safety Integrated Sag Compensation, Multi Dimensional Spline Interpolation for 5-Axis Machining, Compressor Synchronized Actions Level 2 (up to 255 parallel actions) Synchronous Spindle/Multi Edge Turning Temperature Compensation Trailing Axes (Trail) Transformation 7-Axes, OEM-Transformation Transmit/Peripheral Surface Transformation Travel to Fixed Stop with Force Control Volumetric Compensation Weight Compensation

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The advantages of our solution in your production

< As with 5-axis milling, an optimal process chain has now also been established for the placement of compound materials. < The component samples are created in workpiece coordinates and processed by the control. < Synchronous actions replace additional hardware for the cutter control. < Erroneous axis positions can be corrected easily without having to create component programs. < The Frame concept and measurement functions enable the simplest possible corrections of inaccurate component adjustment on the machine.

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More information
www.siemens.com/sinumerik www.siemens.com/motioncontrol/aerospace

Tape Laying / Fiber Placement: Benet

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Benefit

Airbus

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