Cevotec is shipping its first Samba Pro PV fibre patch placement (FPP) system for the production of composite pressure vessel dome reinforcements to a customer in Japan.

In September, Cevotec received the 2024 CAMX Combined Strength Award for the development of this technology with its partners Roth Composite Machinery and Cikoni. The three German companies have achieved a significant 15% reduction in fibre material usage for the composite pressure vessel dome reinforcements. The FFP applies the reinforcements to the vessel liners, which are then filament-wound using a short, adjusted winding programme.

The system being shipped to Japan has already achieved its factory acceptance test and features a fully automated and climatised feeding and cutting unit that processes continuous fibre tape into individual patches. GFM ultrasonic cutting technology guarantees precise, clean cuts and high-resolution cameras monitor patch quality and placement accuracy in real time, ensuring consistent production quality and in-process corrections as necessary.

A six-axis Kuka industrial robot equipped with Cevotec’s proprietary patch gripper precisely places the patches in the positions determined by Artist Studio design software. The pressure vessel liners are rotated on a Kuka rotational axis for exact alignment during placement. The patches can be heated to activate the resin before placement, improving adhesion to the vessel liner.

A new, user-friendly HMI interface and machine data reader enabling greater efficiency and flexibility in operation is also incorporated.

This system supports liners with diameters up to 1,000mm and lengths up to 3,000mm. Beyond dome reinforcements, the Samba Pro PV system includes a free-form placement mode, typically used in aerospace applications. This feature expands the system’s versatility and application range, enabling the production of other high-complexity composite parts.

www.cevotec.com