초록 ▼

In one form of the present invention, a system for constructing a laminate (122) is disclosed. The system comprises a ply feeder (101) that sequentially stacks one or more plies (100) to form a ply stack (102). A computer (106) directs a laser (104) to cut each ply (100) to a desired shape after bec

In one form of the present invention, a system for constructing a laminate (122) is disclosed. The system comprises a ply feeder (101) that sequentially stacks one or more plies (100) to form a ply stack (102). A computer (106) directs a laser (104) to cut each ply (100) to a desired shape after becoming part of the ply stack (102). The ply stack (102) is then placed on a reconfigurable tool (112). An applied pressure compresses the ply stack (102) against the reconfigurable tool (112) while an actuator (124) subsequently reconfigures the reconfigurable tool pins (114) to a predetermined shape. In a more particular embodiment, a composites forming process is used, such as diaphragm forming, to compress the ply stack (102) before the reconfigurable tool pins (114) are reconfigured. In another particular embodiment, the reconfigurable tool pins (114) are first reconfigured then a vacuum diaphragm forming process is utilized to compress the ply stack (102) against the reconfigurable tool (112).

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system for constructing a laminate, comprising:a plurality of plies formed from composite material; a ply feeder to sequentially stack the plurality of plies to form a ply stack; a laser to cut the plies; a computer to direct the laser to cut the plurality of plies to a desired shape; a reconfi

1. A system for constructing a laminate, comprising:a plurality of plies formed from composite material; a ply feeder to sequentially stack the plurality of plies to form a ply stack; a laser to cut the plies; a computer to direct the laser to cut the plurality of plies to a desired shape; a reconfigurable tool operable to shape the ply stack; an actuator to reconfigure the reconfigurable tool; two resilient diaphragms, one resilient diaphragm placed on each side of the ply stack thereby forming a volume between the two resilient diaphragms that includes the ply stack; and a vacuum source for compacting the ply stack, the vacuum source coupled to the volume formed by the two resilient diaphragms.