Automating composites fabrication

The increasing demand for composites in a variety of industries ranging from aerospace to wind energy are prompting automation of the composite production processes to speed up production. MAG Cincinnati, the world's leading supplier of both automated tape laying (ATL) and automated fiber placement (AFP) machines for automating aerospace composite parts, believes that automated composites is a growth enabler for manufacturing composite aircraft. MAG Cincinnati's next-generation Charger Tape Layers combine high-speed layup with easier setup for linear structures. A new low-rail platform design expands installation configuration options to meet customer facility requirements. A CNC-guided 10-axis gantry-style system cuts, applies, and debulks tape without manual intervention. The company has also introduced two new tape layers that can ease market entry for new composites part suppliers to offer a transition from hand layup to automated layup.