NCC unveils automated fibre-placement, automated tape-laying machine

摘要

A cell that can be used for both automated fibre-placement (AFP) and automated tape-laying (ATL) processes has been installed at the UK's National Composites Centre (NCC) in Bristol. The cell, created in partnership with Electroimpact of Deeside, UK, can be used to carry-out ATL and AFP processes individually or together to create large structures with complicated geometries, and is intended for medium-to-large-scale manufacturing. It is the final machine to be installed as part of an 18-month, £36.7-million programme to fit ten automated systems for the manufacture of composite parts at the NCC. Funding for the programme was provided by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) of Cranfield, UK, and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) Local Enterprise Partnerships of Bristol.