Session: 03-20-01: Manufacturing: General

Paper Number: 150504

150504 - Energy-Efficient Manufacturing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites Through Robot Manipulation 

Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset matrix composites are critical in aerospace, automotive, marine, and energy industries due to their excellent stiffness, strength, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. Traditional processes, such as bag molding, compression molding, pultrusion, filament winding, resin transfer molding, and reaction injection molding, utilize highly specialized molds, facilities, and manual labor to manufacture them. Recent advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) with the integration of multi-axis serial robots have pushed customizable AM processes toward functional materials and parts fabrication. However, in terms of thermoset matrix composite manufacturing, existing processes are still constrained by complex procedures involving intensive manual labor and high energy demand for curing with large ovens and autoclaves. Recent research efforts to modernize composite manufacturing are focused on utilizing the AM approach to create three-dimensional parts with design flexibility to circumvent molds and autoclaves. Although automated fiber placement (AFP) and automated tape placement (ATP) using prepreg carbon-fiber tape for composite structures have shown promising applications, their structural flexibility and curing procedures are still limited. Some early works in terms of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites also showed some promising results. However, such composites have inherent limitations due to the relatively weaker matrix of typically low-melting point thermoplastics. High melting point thermoplastics, while available, are extremely difficult to process due to their high viscosity. Thus, high-performance thermosets are generally preferred for practical structural applications in the aerospace and automotive industries. In terms of thermosetting matrix, some works have been reported using UV-curable resins and dual-curing resins (UV and thermally curable). Yet, many of these resins cannot meet the standards for specific applications, as UV curable resin shows relatively lower mechanical properties than industry-standard thermally curable resin. Thermally curable resins provide deep and uniform curing, proven performance, a wide range of properties, and high strength and durability, making them suitable for demanding applications in these industries. However, 3D printing of thermally curable thermosets reinforced with continuous carbon fiber is still limited to relatively simple structures and produces composites with a low degree of curing, requiring oven-based post-curing. In this work, we report an additive manufacturing process of composite materials enabled by robot manipulation strategies. Our technique enables continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermally curable epoxy thermoset matrix composite manufacturing, where the materials are widely used and accepted in the industry. 3D structures are realized through the combination of robot manipulation and in situ on-demand curing, which showed significant energy reduction. A custom print module is designed to enable continuous carbon fiber feeding, resin infusion, and in-situ curing. Taking advantage of multi-axis serial robots, we successfully manufactured 3D structures with a reasonable fiber volume fraction and degree of curing without post-curing. It is envisioned that this manufacturing approach would eventually enable low-cost 3D printing of composite materials on desktop scales.

Presenting Author: Nahid Tushar University of Arkansas

Presenting Author Biography: Nahid Tushar is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA, under the guidance of Dr. Wan Shou in the Wan Research Group. He holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arkansas Tech University (2021) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the same institution (2018). Since 2021, Nahid has been a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Arkansas, where his work focuses on advanced manufacturing techniques, particularly in the realm of additive manufacturing and robotic manipulation. He has collaborated extensively with AMBOTS Inc. and has contributed significantly to the development of innovative 3D printing technologies.
Nahid's ongoing research is leading to multiple publications and presentations, including preprints and conference talks on topics such as robot tape manipulation for 3D printing and heterogeneous swarm manufacturing. He is also a co-inventor on two U.S. provisional patent applications related to tape manipulation for 3D printing and robot-assisted fabrication of continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset composites. Nahid's expertise spans a wide range of areas, including additive manufacturing, collaborative industrial robotics, embedded systems, soft robotics, and programming with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning. His commitment to advancing manufacturing technologies and his approach to solving complex engineering problems highlight his potential as a researcher in the field of mechanical engineering.

Authors:

Nahid Tushar University of Arkansas
Wan Shou University of Arkansas