A method and apparatus for additive manufacturing wherein a fiber composite filament having an arbitrarily shaped cross section is softened and then flattened to tape-like form factor for incorporation into a part that is being additively manufactured.

There is disclosed a lay-up head for applying elongate fiber reinforcement material to an application surface. The lay-up head comprises a guide eyelet through which elongate fiber reinforcement material is arranged to pass into the lay-up head. The guide eyelet has an eyelet rim forming a discontinuous contact surface over which elongate fiber reinforcement material is arranged to pass.

A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The system may include a support, and a print head connected to and moveable by the support. The print head may have an outlet configured to discharge a continuous reinforcement at least partially coated in a matrix. The system may also include at least one doser located inside the print head and configured to at least partially coat the continuous reinforcement with the matrix, a sensor located downstream of the at least one doser and configured to generate a signal indicative of an amount of matrix coating the continuous reinforcement, and a controller in communication with the sensor and the at least one doser. The controller may be configured to direct a feedforward command to the at least one doser to cause the at least one doser to advance matrix toward the continuous reinforcement during passage of the continuous reinforcement through the print head, and to selectively adjust the feedforward command based on the signal.

The invention relates to a method for depositing one- or two-dimensional fiber structures in order to form a two- or three-dimensional fiber structure, in particular a fiber structure in the form of a fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) or FRP semi-finished product, using a production machine including at least one depositing device and at least one fiber support. The one- or two-dimensional fiber structures have at least one unidirectional fiber layer. The depositing device deposits the one- or two-dimensional fiber structures onto the fiber support in a depositing direction in a controlled manner such that the fiber directions of the deposited one- or two-dimensional fiber structures assume an angle α>20°, preferably α>60°, and a maximum of α=90°, relative to the depositing direction. The one- or two-dimensional fiber structures are deposited on the fiber support in a substantially tension-free manner with respect to the fiber direction of the fiber structures.

In a first aspect, the invention refers to a printhead for the additive manufacturing of a fibre reinforced material, comprising a fibre reinforcement in a polymer matrix, comprising an infiltration unit for mixing and/or infiltrating a fibre roving with a molten polymer; at least one feeder for a polymer and/or a fibre roving to the infiltration unit; a heating element, at least for partially melting the polymer within the infiltration unit; at least one deflecting element within the infiltration unit and an outlet for the resulting fibre reinforced material from the infiltration unit, wherein the molten polymer can be guided within the infiltration unit with a polymer flow direction, from the feeder to the outlet, along a channel between the feeder and the outlet, and the fibre roving can be guided within the channel, by means of deflection, around the deflecting element, area by area, transversely to the polymer flow direction, from the feeder to the outlet.

In another aspect, the invention refers to the use of a printhead for additive manufacturing, as well as to a process for additive manufacturing, and to a fibre reinforced material produced by the printhead.

A fibre placement head includes a roller mount having an axle defining a roller axis, and a hollow roller defining an internal chamber. The roller is mounted on the axle and configured to rotate about the roller axis. The fibre placement head also comprises a pressurised fluid system configured to deliver and discharge pressurised fluid to and from the internal chamber of the roller, to vary a stiffness of the roller by varying a pressure of fluid in the chamber. The fibre placement head may also be included in a fibre placement machine having the fibre placement head, and a method of laying up fibre reinforcement material using the fibre placement head.

A cutting device includes a drive mechanism for causing displacement of a cutting blade toward a cutting position on a securing member side which pinches a route with the cutting blade provided for each route of a fiber bundle. The drive mechanism includes a plate-shaped movable unit provided for each of the cutting blades, to which the cutting blade is attached, a support unit supporting the movable unit to be displaceable and facing the movable unit in a plate-shaped part, a permanent magnet provided on one side in the movable unit and the plate-shaped part, and an exciting coil provided on the other side. The permanent magnet and the exciting coil are provided so that the movable unit is displaced as the exciting coil is excited.

A method for laying up a composite material includes steps of (1) depositing the composite material onto a substrate; (2) compacting the composite material with a compaction roller, the compaction roller and the substrate defining a nip; and (3) projecting a plasma flume proximate the nip to heat at least one of the composite material and the substrate.

In in-process inspection or calibration of a print bed or 3D printed part with a 3D printer, toolpaths defining printing material shells for deposition by a 3D printer are compared to surface profile scans from a range scanner to identify differences between the print bed, instructed deposition and the measured result, permitting pausing or alteration of the toolpaths or printing process.

A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The system may include a head configured to discharge a continuous reinforcement that is at least partially coated with a matrix, and a housing trailing from the head and configured to at least partially enclose the continuous reinforcement after discharge. The system may also include a heat source disposed at least partially inside the oven, and a support configured to move the head during discharging.