Ply orientation and gap inspection in composite lay-up
A prepreg ply placed on the mould is imaged by a gantry camera; low-angle lighting reveals the fibre texture. Fibre direction and ply edges are compared with the reference template; a wrong orientation or a gap between adjacent courses puts the lay-up on hold.
Fibre angle and ply-edge deviation are stored against the lay-up step; the correction region is shown on the display for an NG ply and the process is put on hold.
- 01 Lay-up
- 02 Illuminate
- 03 Direction
- 04 Template
- 05 Correct
The new ply settles onto the mould.
- Fibre angle
- —
- Angle difference from reference
- —
- Gap between courses
- —
Scenes are illustrative simulations; they are not customer references or performance guarantees.
Need
Fibre texture on dark prepreg has low contrast and shows up only at certain lighting angles. Each new ply covers the edge of the previous one, so angle and edge position must be measured against the reference at every lay-up step.
Solution approach
A gantry camera looks down on the mould; two low-angle bar lights bring out the fibre lines and the fibre angle is measured from the texture direction. A laser profiler crosses the seam between adjacent courses and measures a gap or overlap as a height step; the ply boundary is compared with the reference template.
Process steps
- 01
Lay-up
The new ply settles onto the mould.
- 02
Illuminate
Oblique lights reveal the fibre texture.
- 03
Direction
Texture direction and the seam profile are extracted.
- 04
Template
Ply angle and edge are compared with the reference.
- 05
Correct
Lay-up is held for a ply with wrong orientation.
Related applications
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