Wet Fibre Placement Process Optimisation

The high cost, low-temperature storage, and high processing temperature of pre-impregnated materials for Automated Fibre Placement make the implementation of such technology challenging in cost-driven applications. Wet Fibre Placement is a low-cost derivation of Automated Fibre Placement; it combines in-process dry fibre impregnation, derived from filament winding, and accurate, near-no-tension fibre placement with feed and cut capabilities derived from Automated Fibre Placement. As the input material is both formed and deposited within the same process, identification, monitoring and control of the key process variables is critical to achieve consistent quality output. This paper investigates and demonstrates quality improvement in Wet Fibre Placement through the investigation of process parameters. Two separate post-processing methods of compaction were also considered; achieving up to 64% improvement in surface roughness and 24% improvement in void content.