PASS FREQUENCY AS A MEANS FOR INCREASED LATP PRODUCTIVITY

Automated manufacturing of thermoplastic composites has gained increasing interest due to its potential for low-cost, high-rate production of composite structures. The matrix-dominated mechanical properties of a laminate manufactured by laser-assisted automated tape placement of thermoplastic composites are highly influenced by the selected processing parameters. Within this work, experimental analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of processing parameters and pass frequency on the laminate microstructure and short beam strength. In conjunction with mechanical characterisation, the process uses a thermo-mechanical model to simulate the thermal history of the manufacturing process. Two cylindrical mandrels with different diameters were used to vary the pass frequency whilst keeping the remaining process parameters constant. Findings show that increasing the pass frequency gradually increases the substrate temperature, reduces the specimen void content, and increases the short beam strength.