Robot needle-punching for manufacturing composite preforms

The advent of three-dimensional (3D) needle-punched preforms has presented the composites community with some novel options in materials' selection. 3D flat fabrics and fully special shaped preforms have been trialed with considerable success for engineering applications. This paper presents and evaluates the design and implementation of a six joints robot needle-punching system integrated for producing high performance fiber preforms for advanced composites. The system has been validated through robotized needle-punching experiments on a conical preform. It has been demonstrated that automated needle-punching using industrial robots can be achieved. Apart from the key points of interfacing and programming of the robot arm and the needle-punching apparatus, the major practical challenges are in ensuring the surface smooth and even of the needle-punched preform. Possible solutions to critical and potentially problematic aspects have been suggested. It is noteworthy that the presented robot needle-punching system can easily be adjusted to different preforms with different shapes, dimensions and needling distribution.