Fiber Placement and Tape Laying Through Continuous Ultrasonic Tacking: A Robust and Low Cost Alternative

Abstract

A novel and cost-effective continuous ultrasonic tacking process has been developed for 2D tape laying and 3D fiber placement of fiber reinforced uni-directional thermoplastic material. The technological challenge has been to achieve high laydown speeds, even for thick layup stacks. The solution has been twofold: development of a special sonotrode tip geometry that transmits the ultrasonic energy efficiently and creating a control system for the variable application of power as a function of variables such as material, movement and ply thickness. The technology has now been optimized and implemented in fully operational 3D fiber placement and 2D laminating cells.