US 12,240,178 B1
Layup strategy analysis
Adriana Willempje Blom-Schieber, Shoreline, WA (US); Troy Winfree, Seattle, WA (US); Philip Lyle Stubblefield, Federal Way, WA (US); and Rainer J. Romatka, Bellevue, WA (US)
Assigned to THE BOEING COMPANY, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by THE BOEING COMPANY, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Jun. 18, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/905,026.
Int. Cl. B29C 64/386 (2017.01); B29C 64/118 (2017.01); B29C 65/00 (2006.01); B29C 70/38 (2006.01); B33Y 50/00 (2015.01); G05B 19/4099 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 64/386 (2017.08) [B29C 66/9221 (2013.01); B29C 66/96 (2013.01); B29C 70/382 (2013.01); B29C 70/384 (2013.01); B33Y 50/00 (2014.12); G05B 19/4099 (2013.01); B29C 64/118 (2017.08); B29C 66/90 (2013.01); B29C 66/9241 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a Numerical Control (NC) programming tool;
an Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) machine;
a layup strategy analysis tool comprising:
a memory storing layup strategy analysis instructions; and
one or more processors configured to execute the layup strategy analysis instructions to:
obtain model data representing a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object to be formed using an automated fiber placement process;
obtain process data descriptive of the automated fiber placement process and one or more automated fiber placement machines, wherein the process data specifies a tow overlap threshold;
generate output indicating a count of a number of tows that can be simultaneously applied during a single pass based on a geometry of the object and based on manufacturability constraints indicated by the process data, wherein the process data specifies a roller compaction parameter associated with a particular automated fiber placement machine of the one or more automated fiber placement machines, wherein the process data specifies a tow nominal-angle deviation threshold, wherein the number of tows that can be simultaneously applied during a single pass is further based on the tow overlap threshold, the roller compaction parameter, and the tow nominal-angle deviation threshold; and
based on the generated output indicating the number of tows that can be simultaneously applied during a single pass based on the geometry of the object, provide data descriptive of a selected layup strategy to the NC programming tool that uses NC instructions to generate machine instruction data detailing specific operations to be performed to manufacture the object; and
wherein the AFP machine is configured to manufacture the object based on the machine instruction data.