Patent ID: 11958244
Assignee: nan
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 12:
13. A method of manufacturing a barrel-shaped composite layup, comprising:
moving at least three head manipulating mechanisms respectively along at least three rails arranged in non-planar parallel relation around a barrel-shaped layup tool having a tool surface and a tool axis, each rail is oriented approximately parallel to the tool axis, and each head manipulating mechanism supports an automated fiber placement (AFP) head;
applying, using the AFP heads, courses of layup material to the tool surface or to previously applied layup material when the layup tool is stationary and during rotation about the tool axis, to thereby fabricate a green state layup; and
maintaining, using the head manipulating mechanisms, the AFP heads in circumferential relation to each other about the tool surface while the AFP heads apply courses of layup material over the layup tool, a total quantity of AFP heads comprises a maximum number of AFP heads that can be circumferentially arranged in longitudinal alignment with each other at a point of maximum circumference on the layup tool without interfering with each other while applying the courses of layup material over the layup tool.