| 1. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Automated Composite Manufacturing Using Off-the-shelf Automation Equipment – A Case from the Space Industry
- 2014
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In: Proceedings of the 16th European Conference on Composite Materials, 22nd-26th June 2014, Seville, Spain. - 9788461697984
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel approach to the manufacturing of composite products using off-the-shelf automation equipment is explored in this article. A manufacturing concept for a specific product is developed and analyzed, from a technical perspective, in order to find areas where off-the-shelf automation equipment can be used. The article also highlights areas where case-specific solutions need to be developed. In this particular case, off-the-shelf automation equipment can be used for most of the tasks that the manufacturing system needs to perform. The most challenging process is identified as the application of adhesive. The manufacturing concept described in the article shows that it is possible to build a system for the manufacturing of composite components using a high degree of off-the-shelf automation equipment.
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| 2. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Automated material handling in composite manufacturing using pick-and-place systems - a review
- 2018
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In: Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing. - : Elsevier BV. - 0736-5845 .- 1879-2537. ; 51, s. 222-229
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With increasing use of fiber reinforced polymer composites follows a natural pursuit for more rational and effective manufacturing. Robotic pick-and-place systems can be used to automate handling of a multitude of materials used in the manufacturing of composite parts. There are systems developed for automated layup of prepreg, dry fibers and thermoplastic blanks as well as to handle auxiliary materials used in manufacturing. The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges associated with automated handling of these materials and to analyze the main design principles that have been employed for pick-and-place systems in terms of handling strategy, reconfigurability, gripping technology and distribution of gripping points etc. The review shows that it is hard to find generic solutions for automated material handling due to the great variety in material properties. Few cases of industrial applications in full-scale manufacturing could be identified.
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| 3. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Automated Removal of Prepreg Backing Paper - A Sticky Problem
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the SAE 2013, Aerotech Congress and Exhibition, 24th-26th September 2013, Montreal,Canada. - 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA, United States : SAE International.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Automated solutions for manufacturing composite products based on prepreg often imply Automatic Fiber Placement or Automatic Tape Laying. These systems are generally associated with huge investments. For certain manufacturing applications it is interesting to investigate alternatives to find simpler and less costly automation. One example of an automated system could be the use of a standard industrial robot to pick single prepreg plies from an automated cutting machine and stack them to form a plane laminate. This paper is based on a case illustrating a product from the aircraft manufacturing industry. The case will demonstrate a pick and place concept on a general level and illustrate challenges that must be solved. The challenge selected to be the main focus for this paper is an automated process for backing paper removal. A literature review of different gripping technologies reveals several interesting technologies, and the most promising are tested for backing paper removal. The tests show that an automated removal process can be designed by using standard vacuum grippers in combination with mechanical clamping grippers. In order to lift the backing paper with a vacuum gripper an initial separation between the backing paper and prepreg is needed. This separation is most easily mechanically induced by bending the material. The proposed solution for automatic backing paper removal can be integrated in a manufacturing cell for manufacturing of the studied product.
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| 4. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Automation of composite manufacturing using off-the-shelf solutions; three cases from the aerospace industry
- 2015
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In: ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials. - : International Committee on Composite Materials.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With an increased use of composite materials follows a need for rational, cost-efficient manufacturing processes. This paper explores how off-the-shelf solutions, developed for other purposes than composite manufacturing, can be used to build systems for automated composite manufacturing. Three demonstrators, each of them dealing with a specific type of material and all of them representing different manufacturing technologies for automated composite manufacturing, are presented and analyzed to find aspects that affect the ability to use off-the-shelf solutions. The three demonstrators target low to medium manufacturing volumes of complex products and they have been developed in collaboration with industrial partners within the aerospace industry. The conclusions drawn from the development of the demonstrators are that it is technically feasible to use off-the-shelf solutions in the three cases while adhering to the high quality standards of the industry. Furthermore three groups of aspects, quality aspects, product aspects and system aspects, which affect the ability to use off-the-shelf solutions for automated composite manufacturing, are identified.
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| 5. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Composite Manufacturing : How Improvement Work Might Lead to Renewed Product Validation
- 2012
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In: Proceedings of the 5th International Swedish Production Symposium. - 9789175197524 ; , s. 505-513
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- High-performance polymer composites are mainly used in applications where the benefits of high strength and low weight justify the high material and manufacturing costs. Many of these applications are found today in the aerospace, space and defense industries. Most of today’s commonly used manufacturing methods within this area are highly labor intensive. Furthermore, the quality requirements from the customers require a high level of process control. The purpose of this paper is to explore how changes that are introduced in order to improve productivity in a manufacturing system are managed, particularly with regard to who takes the decision to implement a change and how a change is validated. The study is based on qualitative interviews performed at several companies that manufacture composite components for the aerospace, space and defense sectors. The findings show that the responsibility for deciding to implement a change and the need for validating it are based on many diverse and interconnected factors. Therefore, it is difficult to construct guidelines for early assessment of the scope and cost of a proposed change. Hence each individual change request must be evaluated on its own. The study also shows that the validation process can be adapted to a level that is based on the type of change. In addition, it highlights that control over process parameters in manufacturing is essential.
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| 6. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Low-cost Automation for Prepreg Handling - Two Cases from the Aerospace Industry
- 2015
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In: SAE International Journal of Materials & Manufacturing. - Warrendale, USA : SAE International. - 1946-3979 .- 1946-3987. ; 9:1, s. 68-74
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With an increased use of composite materials within the aerospace industry follows a need for rational and cost-effective methods for composite manufacturing. Manual operations are still common for low to medium manufacturing volumes and complex products. Manual operations can for example be found in material handling, when picking prepreg plies from a cutter table and stacking them to form a plane laminate in preparation for a subsequent forming operation. Stacking operations of this kind often involves a great number of different ply geometries and removal of backing paper and other protecting materials like plastic. In this paper two different demonstrator cells for automated picking of prepreg plies and stacking of plane laminates are presented. One demonstrator is utilizing a standard industrial robot and an advanced end-effector to handle the ply variants. The other demonstrator is using a dual arm robot which allow for simpler end-effector design. In combination with a previously developed system for automated removal of backing papers both systems have shown to be capable of automatically picking prepreg plies from a plane surface and stack them to generate a flat multistack laminate. The dual arm approach has shown advantageous since it result in simpler end-effector design and a successive lay down sequence that result in good adhesion between the plies in the laminate. null.
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| 7. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Robot-forming of prepreg stacks - Development of equipment and methods
- 2016
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In: ECCM 2016 - Proceeding of the 17th European Conference on Composite Materials. - : European Conference on Composite Materials, ECCM. - 9783000533877
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Within the aerospace industry the manufacturing of composite components with complex shapes, such as spars, ribs and beams are often manufactured using manual layup and forming of prepreg material. Automated processes for prepreg layup and efficient forming techniques like vacuum forming are sometimes difficult to employ to these type of products due to technical limitations. This paper describes the development of tools and the forming sequence needed to automate sequential forming of a complex shape using an industrial robot. Plane prepreg stacks are formed to the final shape using a dual-arm industrial robot equipped with rolling tools. Tests show that the developed tools and the employed sequence can be used to form stacks to the desired shape with acceptable quality.
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| 8. |
- Björnsson, Andreas, 1981-, et al.
(author)
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Three-Dimensional Ultrasonic Cutting of RTM-Preforms – A Part of a High Volume Production System
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Composite Materials, 28th July - 2nd August 2013, Montreal, Canada. - : Electronic Publishing BytePress.com. - 9780969679714 ; , s. 8960-8969
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The process parameters for an automated, three-dimensional ultrasonic cutting process of RTM-preforms are examined in order to find how they affect the cutting quality.
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