Automated fiber placement machines provide tows onto a mold surface or mandrel to manufacture irregular shaped parts. These machines are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,290,389, 4,907,754 and 5,045,147, incorporated by reference herein.
Currently, fiber placement heads provide a consolidation or compaction force through a contact roller or other mechanical device. However, there are drawbacks in using a contact roller or mechanical device to provide a compaction force on the tow when the tow is being applied to a non-uniform surface.
One challenge is that thermoplastic composite materials often have elevated processing temperatures in the range of 250 to 1000 degrees Celsius. A metallic consolidation roller is often required in order to withstand the processing temperatures. These rigid steel consolidation rollers have their respective limitations at being able to uniformly provide a consolidation pressure across the entire width of incoming material when placing over complex geometries. Therefore, it is desirable to have an improved fiber placement apparatus and method.