FPP Production System – SAMBA Series for Automated Composite Manufacturing

Fiber Patch Placement means highly scalable additive manufacturing customized to your needs. We implement SAMBA production systems for different component sizes, working with patch sizes of 20 mm x 40 mm up to large patches of 200 mm x 300 mm.

SAMBA Series platforms work with a range of different dry-fiber and prepreg materials such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, adhesive prepregs, coppermesh prepregs and other technical fibers of all major suppliers, covering areal weights of 80 gsm to 300 gsm.

Speak to us for an individual implementation of Fiber Patch Placement. We will customize the SAMBA system for your applications and adjust it to your shopfloor requirements.

Modules for automated material feeding and placement are compatible with a wide range of fiber materials in tape form. They include a single or double material feeder in a temperature-controlled housing. Tape width can be customized. Patches are cut using ultrasonic cutting technology from GFM. A high-precision camera and dedicated image processing computer inspect each patch before further processing

Placement modules can be adapted to application needs and include tailored Cevotec patch grippers mounted to the placement robot. KUKA robots are standard, with other brands available on request. An optional linear axis extends the robot’s reach. A high-precision camera monitors patch placement and applies real-time offset adjustments. Heating units built-in the gripper or located externally allow short-term heating promoting adhesion during automated material placement.

Tool holders and manipulators are tailored to each application. Quick-mount tooling systems enable flexible production set-ups. When combined with a six-axis tool holder and a six-axis placement robot, the system achieves twelve degrees of freedom to automate lay-up of complex geometries.

SAMBA systems are operated using Siemens SIMATIC programmable logic controller, accessed through a human-machine interface designed by Cevotec that features a user-friendly interface optimized for Fiber Patch Placement. Quality control cameras in feeding, cutting, and placement units connect to a dedicated image processing computer. Additional sensors monitor variables such as temperature and deposition pressure. An industrial provides fast, efficient, and secure remote support.