Effects of Toolpath Direction on Temperature Gradients in Automated Fiber Placement

acm7 Tracking Number 20

Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) is an advanced composite manufacturing process that enables efficient fabrication of high-precision structures. Optimizing process parameters to enhance layup consistency and reduce defects remains challenging. Heating influences key material characteristics such as tack, void content, crystallinity, and mechanical performance. Although detailed AFP heating models exist, few address the combined effects of surface geometry and toolpath direction on heat application. This work examines how surface curvature and layup direction together shape temperature gradients during deposition. By quantifying surface curvature magnitude and direction relative to the layup path, representative temperature gradients are derived. These gradients inform the selection of optimal layup paths. The chosen paths are then integrated into an existing surface temperature prediction model. This integration achieves more uniform heating and minimizes thermal inconsistencies. The resulting method enhances part uniformity and reduces temperature-related defects such as bridging and wrinkling. By minimizing these defects, manual rework time is significantly lowered, reducing layup cycle time and improving process repeatability across components.