Robotic filament winding: An innovative technology to manufacture complex shape structural parts

The robotic filament winding (RFW) technology consists of an industrial robot that is equipped with a feed and deposition systems; they are suitable for placing a tape along the stress directions the part is subjected to during operation. RFW cell replaces the human operator that is the only system that has been previously used to manufacture complex shape parts. It represents an advantage as regards process control, repeatability and manufacturing times. The present work focuses on the family of structural parts whose shape may be obtained as a result of a full section sweeping along a closed non auto-intersecting 3D curve. The aim of the paper is to present a design methodology for the forming process of complex shape structural parts by RFW, in order to obtain structural homogeneity and fibre content uniformity, and so to demonstrate the potential of an innovative robotic cell for manufacturing these parts.