Integrated, automated composite material manufacturing system and method.

摘要

The integrated, automated composite material manufacturing system for pre-cure processing of preimpregnated composite materials, and particularly, for one-sided preimpregnated composite materials includes a computer control subsystem (150) for controlling and synchronizing the pre-cure processing operations, a material cutting station (20) for controlled cutting of preimpregnated composite materials into individual composite plies (GP) of predetermined size and shape based upon composite ply configurations stored in the computer control subsystem (150), a ply unloading station (30) for providing automatic pickup, transfer and placement operations to unload the individual composite plies (GP) utilizing a multiplicity of bi-functional transfer feet that are automatically, selectively activated to form a predetermined combination operative to engage and retain and disengage and release the tacky surface of individual composite plies (GP), a ply transfer subsystem (50) automatically operative to transfer composite plies (GP) between the unloading subsystem (30) and a ply inverting subsystem (60) for rotating individual composite plies (GP) to place the non-tacky surface up, a ply transfer/layup subsystem (90) to transfer composite plies (GP) to a composite article mold having a mold surface and to layup the transferred composite plies (GP) on the mold surface, and a ply conforming subsystem (110) for conforming said layed up composite plies (GP) with the mold surface.