Disclosed herein is a device for producing composite components including at least one wound fiber reinforced polymer layer, including: a support with a first holding device and a second holding device for mounting a liner in between, where the first and the second holding device are such that the liner can rotate around a central rotation axis which extends through the first holding device and the second holding device, and at least two movable arms for feeding a fiber structure, where the support is established such that the liner can be moved axially parallel to the central rotation axis and each movable arm for feeding the fiber structure can be moved perpendicular to the central rotation axis. Further disclosed herein is a process for producing composite components using the device.

A shaping apparatus includes a stand that includes a shaping surface on which a product is shaped; a feeder that feeds a linear material obtained by impregnating continuous fiber with resin; a pressing portion that presses the material fed by the feeder against the stand; and an angle setting portion that sets an angle formed between the material fed from the feeder to the pressing portion and the shaping surface to be an acute angle.

A guide mechanism includes a support member that supports a plurality of tow guides provided corresponding to each of fiber bundles, and a support mechanism that supports the support member with respect to an arm, and the support mechanism is configured such that the support member is displaceable in a width direction orthogonal to an extending direction of the arm in a plan.

A fiber laying machine for producing laid fiber scrims has a tool table for positioning a mold, said tool table being linearly displaceable in an x direction by means of an x carriage and being pivotable about a vertical pivot axis. Arranged above the tool table is a fiber laying head which is linearly displaceable transversely to the x direction by means of a y carriage. Since the fiber laying head is linearly displaceable, the arrangement of the tool table on the machine frame is comparatively easy, and so laid fiber scrims are producible quickly and efficiently. In particular, automatic loading and unloading of the tool table is easily possible.

Compositions including a polyimide and one or more thermally conductive fillers, and compaction rollers for an automated fiber placement machine incorporating the compositions are provided. The polyimide may be a polymeric reaction product of a dianhydride and one or more diamines. The one or more diamines may include a fluorine-containing alkyl ether diamine. The one or more thermally conductive fillers may include one or more of a carbon-based filler, boron nitride, a metal, or combinations thereof. The compositions may have a thermal conductivity of from about 0.2 to about 50 Watts per meter Kelvin (Wm.sup.−1 K.sup.−1).

A system for additively manufacturing an object comprises a source of a feedstock line, a rigidizing mechanism that receives the feedstock line from the source and transforms the resin from a first at least partially uncured state to a rigid at least partially uncured state, a delivery guide that deposits the feedstock line along a print path, a feed mechanism that feeds the feedstock line through the delivery guide, a de-rigidizing mechanism that transforms the resin from the rigid at least partially uncured state to a second at least partially uncured state, and a curing mechanism that transforms the resin from the second at least partially uncured state to an at least partially cured state.

A forming-material connecting device includes a cutter that cuts a forming material constituted by plural continuous fiber bundles being impregnated with a resin material and supplied in a supply direction corresponding to an extending direction of the plural continuous fiber bundles. The cutter cuts at least a portion of the plural continuous fiber bundles. The forming-material connecting device also includes a joining portion joining portions of the forming material, which are cut by the cutter at a cutting point in the forming material, on a downstream and upstream side with respect to the cutting point in the supply direction by heating to join the resin materials of the portions of the forming material, or the joining portion joins a preceding forming material's trailing end portion and a leading end portion of a following forming material by heating to join resin materials of the preceding forming material and following forming material.

A roller for automated fiber placement includes a flexible rim member arranged about a central axis. The flexible rim member has an inner side and an outer side, and the central axis is closer to the inner side than to the outer side. The roller also includes a hub member arranged substantially concentric with the flexible rim member about the central axis. The hub member defines an opening to receive a shaft of an automated fiber placement machine. The roller further includes a plurality of curved interconnect members extending between the hub member and the flexible rim member. Each of the plurality of curved interconnect members is elastically deformable to accommodate deformation of the flexible rim member. The roller also includes one or more roller skin layers coupled to the outer side of the flexible rim member.

A fiber feeding device includes rollers, a brake and a belt conveyor. The rollers guide feeding out of tapes. The tapes are arrayed without overlapping the tapes in a width direction. The brake stops first feeding out of a first tape. The belt conveyor feeds out second feeding out of a second tape. The second tape is guided by a selected roller. The second tape is fed out by being sandwiched between the selected roller and the belt conveyor. The selected roller approaches the belt conveyor to sandwich the second tape between the selected roller and the belt conveyor while a nonselected roller retreats from the belt conveyor to prevent a third tape from being sandwiched between the nonselected roller and the belt conveyor. The third tape is guided by the nonselected roller. The third tape includes the first tape.

Various embodiments related to three dimensional printers, and reinforced filaments, and their methods of use are described. In one embodiment, a void free reinforced filament is fed into an extrusion nozzle. The reinforced filament includes a core, which may be continuous or semi-continuous, and a matrix material surrounding the core. The reinforced filament is heated to a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the matrix material and less than a melting temperature of the core prior to extruding the filament from the extrusion nozzle.