INTEGRATING ULTRASONIC CUTTING WITH HIGHACCURACY ROBOTIC AUTOMATIC FIBER PLACEMENT FOR PRODUCTION FLEXIBILITY

摘要

To create a flexible method for manufacturing flat carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP)rncharges, a 4-axis Ultrasonic Cutting Gantry and zone-controlled vacuum table has beenrnintegrated with a high-accuracy Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) robot. The high speedrncutting gantry is outfitted with a 30 kHz ultrasonic knife and is capable of maximum speeds ofrn76 meters per minute. In addition to final trim, the ultrasonic cutting gantry is equipped with arnmechanism for automatically spreading backing film over the vacuum table, a vision system,rntable mapping system, and a part marking device. The robot is an off-the-shelf 6-axis KUKArnTitan KR1000L750 riding on a linear axis with its positioning enhanced by secondary feedbackrnat each of its joints. This robot is outfitted with Electroimpact’s modular AFP head technology.rnAlthough unto themselves the ultrasonic cutting gantry and the AFP robot function as separaternmachines, each running a dedicated Siemens 840Dsl CNC, Electroimpact has developedrncollision detection and safety software using position information from both machines. Thisrnallows for the creation of two distinct work zones. Beyond the advantage of layup and final trimrnoccurring on the same table, the ability to switch from a full-table work zone to multiple workrnzones allows for the flexibility of having workers access the finished goods in one zone while thernrobot continues operation in the other, further increasing utilization.