Small Parts Laminator Picks, Places and Forms Plies in One Minute

Accudyne shipped a Small Parts Laminator for fabricating composite laminates used in the commercial aircraft industry. The machine builds a range of composite shapes including “L”, “C”, “U” and hat geometries that are ultimately converted into clips and brackets for commercial aircraft. The operator places plies from two separate part kits, one at a time, onto a placement table. The machine then picks up the ply, places it on the tool, forms the ply and then shuttles the tool over to a compaction bladder dedicated to that tool. While the first part is being compacted, the same process begins for the second part. By building two parts at a time the machine is able to complete one ply every minute. The machine produces both male and female parts of up to 8 inches (203 mm) wide and 54 inches (1372 mm) long. Part recipes are created and saved using the HMI touch screen displaying simple menu options and machine status. The laminator replaces a labor intensive, hand lay-up process resulting in a ten-fold increase in productivity.