Application of robotic manipulation for carbon fiber reinforced polymers manufacturing- A survey

With the rapid advancement in the manufacturing industry, there has been a massive rise in the demand for products made of fiber reinforced polymer composites as they have high stiffness and strength to weight ratios. They are widely used in the manufacturing of parts in aerospace and automobile industry. The manual draping process of prepreg on the mold is time intensive and requires a highly skilled worker to perform the task. Various techniques have been designed to automate the process of composite parts manufacturing using automated fiber placement (AFP), automated tape laying (ATL) and automated plies layup. These methods use robots equipped with an end effector designed to drape the prepreg. The system utilizes both single and multi-robot cells for the process of composites manufacturing. The aim of this paper is to review the techniques and strategies employed for conforming and grasping of prepreg. The paper will also delve into the process parameters that influence the composites manufacturing process and investigate the impact of correct and inaccurate selection of process parameters on the final product. The paper will also discuss the limitations, challenges and future prospects for automated composite part manufacturing.