SBIR Phase I: Highly Tailored Automated Laminate Production for Advanced Composite Infusions.

这个SBIR一期项目将开发一种自动复合材料层压成套设备和缝纫机。这台演示机器将能够平行放置、切割和固定6层干燥复合材料。该工艺的并行性极大地缩短了制造时间，而机器的卷轴到卷轴的布局允许使用相对较小的机器占地面积来制造长的连续层压板。关键的技术障碍将是多个并行层的软件控制和机械管理。在该研究项目中，Green Dynamic将演示拟议的机械控制方案和机械系统布局，该方案允许多个层平行缠绕，并同时在各个门架上切割。Green Dynamic叠层套装和缝纫机将展示通过单件叠层板的自动化制造可以实现的劳动力和成本节约。这些节省将使复合材料的成本继续降低，并刺激它们进入新市场。降低成本和提高复合材料结构的质量，如风力机叶片和汽车零部件，是降低碳排放的关键途径。拟议的制造机器并行处理多个面料卷，并使用专有控制算法和面料处理方法，同时切割和固定多达6层材料。由于各个层是独立处理的，因此得到的层压板堆叠是高度量身定做的，只在需要的地方放置材料。最终产品是可运输的，对于非常长的零件，可以卷起来以最大限度地减少运输尺寸。在制造位置，只需一步即可将该层压板放置在工具中，这大大缩短了制造零件的时间和工具中的加工时间。没有其他的复合材料自动化机器可以提供在多个方向上量身定做的单件叠层。由此产生的层压板有效地利用了复合材料的正交各向异性特性来实现更轻的重量，同时实现了更低的触摸劳动率。我们机器的多辊、线性取向允许在较小的机器占地面积内对细长的层压板进行卷筒到卷筒加工，从而产生滚压的、可运输的层压板。

This SBIR Phase I project will develop an automated composite lamination kitting and stitching machine. This demonstration machine will be capable of placing, cutting and securing 6 layers of dry composite material in parallel. The parallel nature of the process greatly improves manufacturing time, while the reel-to-reel capable layout of the machine allows for manufacturing of long continuous laminates using a comparatively small machine footprint. The key technical hurdles will be software control and mechanical management of multiple parallel plies. During this research project Green Dynamics will demonstrate the proposed machine control proposal and mechanical system layout, which allows multiple plies to spool in parallel and be cut on individual gantries simultaneously. The Green Dynamics lamination kitting and stitching machine will demonstrate the labor and cost savings that can be achieved through automated manufacturing of a single piece laminate. These savings will enable the continued reduction in cost for composite materials, and spur their growth into new markets. Decreasing the cost and improving the quality of composite structures such as wind turbine blades and automotive components is a key path to lower carbon emissions. The proposed manufacturing machine handles multiple fabric rolls in parallel and uses proprietary control algorithms and fabric handling methods to cut and secure up to 6 layers of material simultaneously. As individual layers are processed independently the resulting laminate stack is highly tailored and places material only where it is needed. The final product is transportable, and for very long length parts, can be rolled up to minimize transport size. At the manufacturing location this laminate is placed in the tool in a single step, which greatly reduces the time to manufacture the part and the process time in the tool. No other composite automation machine can provide a single piece lamination which is tailored in multiple directions. The resulting laminate effectively uses the orthotropic properties of composite materials to achieve lower weights while enabling much lower touch labor rates. The multi-roll, linear orientation of our machine allows for reel to reel processing of long narrow laminates in a small machine footprint, and results in a rolled, transportable laminate.