SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRECISION MAPPING AND REMOVAL OF DEFECT IN SPOOLED MATERIAL USING SPOOL ROTATION AND VARIABLE WINDING PITCH

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To precisely identify defective sections of a spoolable material for removal.;SOLUTION: The method provided comprises determining the locations of defects previously identified during manufacturing, and deciding whether the defects have been removed or not in post-manufacturing processing. In this method, the defective sections are recorded during manufacturing and the spool containing the material is subsequently unwound to allow removal of the defective sections. Further, in this method, rotation data corresponding to the location on the spool where the fiber contains defects are used. A process controller records rotational positioning data from the take-up spool during manufacturing, and uses the information to locate the defect when unwinding the spool. In addition, the pitch of winding the fiber onto the spool may be altered during manufacturing to indicate the beginning and end of a defective section. In this instance, the defective portion of the fiber can be determined during unwinding by monitoring the pitch width of the material. Finally, an algorithm for defining cut out bands adjacent to the defective sections aids in ensuring that no remaining defective fiber remains.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO