| Accudyne Systems, Inc. designed, fabricated, installed, and operated a Cytec Fiberite in situ tape laydown head that succeeded in making flat skin/stringer, honeycomb, and TiGr laminates without an autoclave. The laydown head dispenses precise prepreg lengths, processes them at 400°C, and consolidates them under chilled compaction, all in the space of about one foot.
In an extended program with NASA, Accudyne developed the thermoplastic tape laydown head, shown here supported by a large gantry robot. The machine has three different feeder configurations. This process is entirely automated and position and length tolerances exceeded the stack and weld requirements. Further, the feeder preheats the incoming material and operates directly adjacent to the 400°C process zone.
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