Design of a Compact Composite Prepreg Tape Dispensing Device

The design of a compact composite prepreg tape dispensing device is presented. This device supplies composite prepreg plies to manual and robotic composite prepreg layup processes for producing composite laminates. It is able to de-reel a spool of prepreg tape, remove the backing paper, cut the tape into plies at specified lengths, and place the plies for pickup. It provides a compact and economic tape supplying solution to the composite manufacturing industry. A prototype device was created and tested. With an overall footprint of 20 3/8 inches (517.5 mm) by 50 5/8 inches (1285.9 mm) and a mass of 35 lb (15.9 kg), the device was compact enough and functioned well in a tabletop layup workspace. The prepreg tape dispensing process was successfully carried out. The tape cutting accuracy of the prototype device achieved 1/22 inches (1.2 mm) on average with a standard deviation of 1/13 inches (2.0 mm). The tape delivery positioning accuracy achieved 1/32 inches (0.8 mm) on average with a standard deviation of 3/68 inches (1.1 mm) in the longitudinal direction, and 1/80 inches (0.3 mm) on average with a standard deviation of 1/38 inches (0.7 mm) in the transverse direction. The test results verify the capability of the presented technique in producing prepreg plies with sufficient accuracy and consistency.