Abstract:
An aircraft part manufacturing device for automated composite lamination on a mandrel surface of a tool having a rotational axis includes a mechanical supporting structure that supports multiple material delivery heads. The tool is moveable and rotatable relative to the mechanical supporting structure. The mechanical supporting structure provides for axial translation of the material delivery heads relative to the mandrel surface while the mandrel surface is rotated for laying down courses of composite material over the entire mandrel surface of the tool. The position and movement of each of the plurality of material delivery heads is individually adjustable. Arm mechanisms provide motion of each material delivery head in a direction normal to the mandrel surface; rotation about an axis normal to the mandrel surface; circumferential position adjustment in a hoop direction relative to the mandrel surface; and axial position adjustment relative to the other material delivery heads.
Abstract:
A method of transferring an uncured composite laminate skin from a lay-up surface of a male mandrel tool to a female cure tool includes defining multiple vacuum zones on the lay-up surface, each zone corresponding to one of a multiple of portions into which the skin is to be separated. For example, to separate the skin into two portions, a low profile seal of a first membrane to the lay-up surface is formed at a first vacuum zone and a second low profile seal for a second membrane is formed at a second vacuum zone. The method further includes laying up a composite laminate skin over all the vacuum zones; separating the composite laminate skin into portions, for example, a first portion over the first vacuum zone and a second portion over the second vacuum zone; and releasing the portions individually into cure tools having an outside mold line surface.
Abstract:
A method is provided for making a composite laminate aircraft skin for a fuselage in multiple composite panels. A resin-impregnated composite tape is placed on a lay-up surface of a mandrel tool to form the composite laminate aircraft skin as a barrel that is substantially the shape of a fuselage section. The barrel is cut into a plurality of panels on the mandrel tool, and at least one panel of the plurality of panels is transferred, individually and independently of all other of the plurality of panels, from the lay-up surface of the mandrel tool to a first cure tool of a plurality of cure tools having an aero surface tooled to an outer mold line. The at least one of the panels is cured on the first cure tool to form a cured composite panel. The first cure tool defines and controls the outer mold line of the at least one panel. The cured composite panel is removed from the first cure tool.