A filament winding apparatus includes a controller that controls the action of the filament winding apparatus. The controller includes a tension controller that controls a tension adjuster in such a way that an adjusted tension waveform that relates the rotation phase of a liner to the tension of a fiber adjusted by the tension adjuster has a phase opposite to the phase of a temporary tension waveform.

A fillet for a composite panel may be formed by pulling a prepreg slit tape from a spool and winding the slit tape into a fillet mold around the perimeter of a wheel. The tension, heat, and speed may all be adjusted during the winding process. A guide may guide the slit tape to specific locations in the fillet mold. The fillet may be removed from the wheel and coupled to the composite panel and cured.

A method of manufacture of a product from a composite material is described, the method including winding a material onto a mandrel, monitoring the material, as it is wound onto the mandrel, to ascertain at least one dimension of the material being wound, and monitoring the mandrel as the material is wound thereon to ascertain the weight of the material being wound, and controlling the winding of the material onto the mandrel to take into account variations in the material being wound using the at least one dimension and the weight values derived during the monitoring. An apparatus suitable for use in the method is also described.

A method for producing a structural component part (1) from a fiber-reinforced plastic according to a three-dimensional winding process. Threadlike or strand-shaped fiber material (12) supplied on at least one bobbin (18) is wound around at least one filament carrier (11) in at least one winding pattern by at least one computer-controlled winding device (10). The fiber material (12) is laid down on the filament carrier (11) with a filament tensile force (F.sub.ZN) that is preadjusted by a control device (14). The filament tensile force (F.sub.Zist) is controlled depending on location and/or depending on path in order to take into account specific lay-down locations (29) on the filament carrier (11) in which a lay-down path (28) predefined by the winding pattern is departed from owing to the local geometry at preadjusted filament tensile force (F.sub.ZN).

Control closely based on sets of winding data of a fiber bundle is performed even if at least one set of the winding data is skipped. A controller includes a data conversion unit, a reference data setting unit, a transfer unit, and a selector. The data conversion unit converts sets of first winding data generated based on winding conditions into sets of second winding data in which a processing order number is associated with information of a state of a winder. The reference data setting unit sets some of the second winding data as sets of reference data in advance. The transfer unit transfers a selected set of the second winding data to the winder, each time a unit time elapses. The selector is able to set an override value that is used for determining a skip number.

A wind-by-wind printer of three-dimensional envelopes is disclosed. A partial envelope is rotated by a turntable, a printhead is positioned proximate to a pervious fiber wind according to a three-dimensional model of the complete envelope, and unmelted fiber is dispensed and joined to the pervious wind. Several source fibers may be merged into a single build fiber toward printing. The source fiber may be modified toward printing, for example by shaping, painting or heating without melting. Several printing units may concurrently operate for adding several fiber winds to the envelope during a single revolution of the turntable.

An installation for fabricating a thermal protection covering of a body or of a rear assembly for a thruster, includes an extruder presenting a die having an outlet orifice through which a strip of elastomer material is to be extruded, the extruder having a die control system to vary the size of the outlet orifice; a mandrel to be set into rotation about its axis; a deposition head to deposit the strip on the mandrel; a conveyor system to convey the strip from the outlet orifice of the die of the deposition head; and a thickness monitoring system to measure the thickness of the strip on the deposition head and on the mandrel and to compare each measured thickness value with a predetermined value, the thickness monitoring system to control the die control system so as to cause the size of the outlet orifice of the die to vary.

There is provided a system and method for manufacturing continuous strand fiberglass of progressive density with varying skins. Glass media is melted into molten glass within a temperature controlled melter, the molten glass exits the melter through orifices of a bushing plate, which is oriented 6 degrees relative to the axis of a rotating drum. A rotating drum receives the molten glass exiting the bushing plate, and resin and water are applied. The fiberglass media is fed through rollers before it enters a curing oven.

A method for producing a structural component part (1) from a fiber-reinforced plastic according to a three-dimensional winding process. Threadlike or strand-shaped fiber material (12) supplied on at least one bobbin (18) is wound around at least one filament carrier (11) in at least one winding pattern by at least one computer-controlled winding device (10). The fiber material (12) is laid down on the filament carrier (11) with a filament tensile force (F.sub.ZN) that is preadjusted by a control device (14). The filament tensile force (F.sub.Zist) is controlled depending on location and/or depending on path in order to take into account specific lay-down locations (29) on the filament carrier (11) in which a lay-down path (28) predefined by the winding pattern is departed from owing to the local geometry at preadjusted filament tensile force (F.sub.ZN).

The present disclosure relates to a transition method and system from helical winding to hoop winding of composite fibers. The method includes: setting a slip coefficient, and performing iterative calculation forward from an iteration starting point according to an equation set of a winding angle and a center angle of rotation to obtain a winding angle at an iteration termination point; and if the winding angle at the iteration termination point is greater than a first preset angle, adjusting the slip coefficient corresponding to a cylinder body according to the first preset angle, extending a length of a helical winding transition section to a front equator, and starting the hoop winding at the front equator at the first preset angle to complete planning of the helical winding transition section.