Dec 28 2010
Automated Dynamics has received a $1 million contract from Concordia University to develop an automated fiber placement (AFP) robotic workcell for the university¡¦s Concordia Center for Composites (CONCOM).
The six-axis robot will produce simple to intricate geometries such as triangles, flat laminates, box beams, cones, cylinders, open and closed sections with concave and/or convex shapes, ovals, cones and others.
The robot has an articulated hand platform with exchangeable processing heads. Four-tape processing head in which each tap has a width of 0.25„c with individual tape control is used for thermoset (epoxy) composite materials, while single tape processing head with width varying between 0.25„c and 0.50„c is used for thermoplastic composite materials. The robot has also a dedicated spindle to house tools up to 6,000 pounds. The work envelope of the robot is 48„c OD by 10 feet long.
The robotic workcell will be delivered with devices that comprise a huge, electric tool extractor that has a 40,000 pounds pull force for detaching tools from the fabricated composite structure.
The robot and its processing head use a PC to run the patented off-line and in-line software programs to place the pre-preg, fiber-reinforced composite tape on a metal tool in any direction from 0„a to 180„a ply by ply.