Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Automation in composite manufacturing is the key to produce the consistent and high quality products and to reduce the cost. To support the Canadian industry in research and development, through the CFI funding, Concordia University has purchased, installed and commissioned an automated fiber placement machine. This machine has a robot configuration with two different heads. One head is designed to deliver four ¼ in wide thermoset slit tapes and the other one will be used to layup one ½ in wide thermoplastic tape. Industrial Research Chair IRC on automated composite manufacturing has been established at Concordia University to explore the potential application of AFP in manufacturing of both thermosetting and thermoplastic composite parts. Thermoplastic composite manufacturing using AFP is currently under investigation. The existing heating system is a hot torch gas. It is well-known that with the existing set-up, there will be a limitation in the lay-up speed and part quality. The heating system is always on and a lot of energy is wasted. Laser-assisted fiber placement has the potential to become the most productive and energy-efficient method for automated lay-up of continuous carbon fibre-reinforced thermoplastic prepregs in the production of high-quality composite structures. A high power fiber laser is required to replace the existing heating system. With a properly designed laser heating system, huge gains can be realized in processing speed, reliability, energy efficiency, and even performance of the finished part. The laser is capable of applying much more energy to the composite more quickly than other methods so the part can be fabricated faster. Furthermore, the laser can be turned on, off, or change intensity almost instantly allowing for improved control of the AFP process.