CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY

The present application being Patent of addition claims priority from an Indian Provisional Patent Application No: 201841035688 filed on 21 September 2018.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to a modular layup making system and method. In particular, the present subject matter related to a modular automated layup making apparatus and method for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs.

BACKGROUND

Now-a-days, there is enormous growth in the techniques of carbon fiber prepreg fabrication by layup process. These techniques are either completely automated or non-automated (manual layup). Non-automated carbon fiber prepreg fabrication involves cutting of required layup shapes out of a roll of carbon fiber prepreg material as one of its steps. This cutting process is performed, at present, in industries either manually or by using automated cutting machines. Either way, this process generates a wastage of carbon fiber material of more than 30% on a global average.

The automated systems and processes comprise of fully automatic computer-guided robotics to lay one or several carbon fiber tape(s) directly onto a mold one layer at a time one over other directly, to create a part or structure. Although the wastage is minimal here, these automated processes are only suitable for parts of certain simple geometries and are also extremely expensive.

The state of the art systems and processes do not efficiently aid the technicians at present for the manual layup process. These automated techniques are very rarely applicable for complex parts with high curvatures. Further, the systems are not modular and scalable in accordance with the carbon fiber part to be fabricated. Moreover, these techniques involve a lot of complexity and are expensive. The previously patented Automated Layup Making System and Method for Preparing Carbon Fiber Uni-Directional Prepregs for Hand Layup, bearing Indian Patent number as (290256 - 25/16) can help bring down the material wastage significantly. But, the main disadvantage of this system and method is its lack of scalability and modularity, which is addressed in the present subject matter.

Therefore, there is long standing need of a modular apparatus and method for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs for hand layup which optimizes wastage of material, is modular and scalable, is affordable, and less complex.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a modular automated layup making apparatus and method for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one implementation, a modular automated layup making apparatus for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs is illustrated in accordance to the present subject matter. The system may comprise a computer numeric control (CNC) machine connectively coupled with a processor, wherein the computer numeric control machine comprises a bed, wherein the width of the bed is scaled, as per requirement, by separating two parts of the bed and enabling addition of one or more table surfaces in a plurality of exposed internal base structure supports. A thin plastic sheet is set on the top surface of the bed. The system further may comprise at least one or more spools of carbon fiber prepreg slit tapes. The system further may comprise a plurality of automated layup making heads loaded with said spools of carbon fiber prepreg slit tapes wherein, said automated layup making heads and an automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension are mounted onto a mounting shroud. A locking bar may be engaged to keep the automated layup making heads from falling off during operation. The system may furthermore comprise, a sheet roller configured to move the thin plastic sheet. The system may comprise a sheet cutter comprising a cutter blade. A memory coupled with the processor is fed with a plurality of executable instructions and wherein the processor is configured to execute said instructions in order to build a layup as per requirement. The automated layup making heads lay a single or multiple carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) onto the thin plastic sheet, in a predefined dimension, as instructed via the processor, wherein the automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension facilitates in addition of automated layup making heads in order to incorporate larger layup widths than the current size of the bed. The sheet cutter cuts a built required shape along with the thin plastic sheet, throughout the periphery of laid up carbon fiber prepreg slit tapes(s). The sheet roller is motorized and configured to enable rolling of the thin plastic sheet after the removal of said cut required shape, built by the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s), thereby providing a fresh area of the thin plastic sheet 101 to the automated layup heads for building a new layup and also to move the laid up area, of the required shape, to the sheet cutter after completion of the layup process. Such scaling of the bed and provision of the automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension facilitates in building the required shapes of the layups, thereby facilitating on-demand production of the required shapes with minimal wastage of raw material.

In another implementation, a modular automated layup making method for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs is illustrated in accordance with the present subject matter. The method may comprise adjusting via addition of one or more table surfaces and an automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension, the width of a bed of a computer numeric control (CNC) machine, and a number of required automated layup making heads, respectively, wherein said addition of table surface is facilitated by separating two parts of the bed and adding said table surface in a plurality of exposed internal base structure supports and wherein the automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension 202 is mounted onto a mounting shroud. The method may further comprise setting, a thin plastic sheet onto the bed. The method may further comprise loading, spools of carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) onto automated layup making heads and guiding, the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) around rollers of automated layup making heads, wherein, a locking bar is engaged to keep the automated layup making heads from falling off during operation. The method may furthermore comprise feeding, a plurality of executable instruction into a memory coupled to a processor, wherein the processor is connectively coupled with the computer numeric control (CNC) machine and wherein the processor is configured to execute said instructions in order to build a layup as per requirement. The method may comprise depositing, via automated layup making heads, the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) onto the thin plastic sheet, in a predefined dimension, as instructed via the processor. The method may comprise cutting, via sheet cutter, separately or simultaneously, a built required shape along with the thin plastic sheet, throughout the periphery of laid up carbon fiber prepreg slit tapes(s). The method may furthermore comprise removing, the built and cut out required shape along with the thin plastic sheet from the bed. The method may comprise moving, via a sheet roller, the thin plastic sheet, wherein the sheet roller is motorized and configured to enable rolling of the thin plastic sheet after the removal of said cut-out required shape, built by the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s), thereby providing a fresh area of the thin plastic sheet to the automated layup heads for building a new layup and also to move the laid up area, of the required shape, to the sheet cutter after completion of the layup process. Such scaling of the bed and provision of the automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension facilitates in building the required shapes of the layups, thereby facilitating on-demand production of the required shapes with minimal wastage of raw material, maintaining the quality of the layups and allowing the modular automated layup making apparatus to be adapted for use in multiple configurations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer like features and components.

Figure 1 illustrates, various components of a modular automated layup making apparatus 100 for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs.

Figure 2 illustrates, automated layup making machine extension mechanisms 200.

Figure 3 illustrates, an arrangement 300 of a plurality of automated layup making heads 102.

Figure 4 illustrates, a locking and alignment mechanism 400 for ALM head gantry extension

202.

Figure 5 illustrates, roller arrangement 500 for automated layup making heads 102 and shows a part 501 in a neutral position and an electronically actuated position.

Figure 6 illustrates, a top view 600 of a version of an optimized arrangement of automated layup making heads 102 laying slit tape(s) 601.

Figure 7 illustrates, the automated layup making process 700 and the steps involved. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference throughout the specification to“various embodiments,”“some embodiments,”“one embodiment,” or“an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases“in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment,” or“in an embodiment” in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Some embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

It must also be noted that, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although any methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present disclosure, the exemplary methods are now described. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms.

Various modifications to the embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments illustrated but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.

Referring now to figure 1, various components of a modular automated layup making apparatus 100 for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs are illustrated in accordance with the present subject matter. In one embodiment, the modular automated layup making apparatus 100 may comprise a plurality of automated layup making heads 102 (herein further called as ALM heads), a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine, a thin plastic sheet 101, a sheet roller 103, a sheet cutter 104, a bed 105 and a mounting shroud 106. The thin plastic sheet 101 may be laid on the bed 105 of the CNC machine 107. Further, one or more rolls or spools of carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 (shown in Figure 6) may be loaded into the ALM heads 102. The laying of carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 on the plastic sheet 101 may be done by the ALM heads 102 according to the information fed into the CNC machine 107. The CNC machine 107 may be connectively coupled with a processor (not shown in figure), wherein the processor is coupled with a memory. The memory may be fed with a plurality of executable instructions wherein, the processor coupled with the memory is configured to execute said instructions to build a layup as per requirement. Each ALM head out of the plurality of ALM heads 102 may lay a single or multiple carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 onto the plastic sheet 101, in a predefined length, as per the instructions fed into the memory and executed by the processor. These sheets are then cut throughout the periphery of laid up carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 according to the required shape via a cutting mechanism comprising the sheet cutter 104. The sheet cutter 104 has two translational degrees of freedom which allow said sheet cutter 104 to move along the surface of the bed 105 and cut the layup in the required shape. The cutter blade which is part of the sheet cutter 104 has an additional rotational degree of freedom which allows said cutter blade to cut the built layup at various specified angles. The cutter blade is also equipped with an engagement mechanism (not shown in figure) which allows said cutter blade to cut the layups only at the specified locations. When the cutter blade is disengaged, the sheet cutter 104 is free to move to another area which requires cutting, without at all coming into contact with the layup. Such an engagement and disengagement mechanism may allow the sheet cutter 104 to cut out multiple different sections from a single built layup. The cut sheets may be then manually laid onto a mould. A sheet roller 103 may be configured to enable rolling of the thin plastic sheet 101 after the cut-out areas of the sheet are removed. The sheet roller 103 may be motorised to move the thin plastic sheet 101 for providing a fresh area of the thin plastic sheet 101 to the ALM heads 102 for building a new layup and also to move the laid-up area to the sheet cutter 104 after a layup process is complete. Referring now to figure 2, automated layup making machine extension 200 is illustrated in accordance with the present subject matter. The carbon fiber industry currently makes use of automated prepreg cutting machines for cutting the carbon fiber prepregs into the required shapes for layup. These machines are not modular or scalable and therefore, have a fixed maximum size for operation. This issue of a size limit is solved with the use of the automated layup making apparatus 100, which may be modular and scalable, allowing the said apparatus 100 to incorporate larger layup widths by the addition of more ALM heads 102. The apparatus 100 may have provision to easily scale the width of the bed by separating two parts of the bed 105 and exposing the internal base structure supports 203 enabling addition of one or more table surfaces 201 and ALM head gantry extension 202, when parts are wider than current bed size (as shown in Figure 2). The gantry of the sheet cutter 104 may also be extended along with the previous components in a similar manner. These additional attachments used for extension of the bed 105, the ALM head mounting shroud 106 and the sheet cutter gantry (not shown in figure) are equipped with precise alignment mechanisms. This helps to maintain the precision and accuracy of the complete apparatus after the attachments of the extensions and subsequently after the removal of the extensions. Thus, the automated layup making apparatus 100 provides the benefit of being modular and scalable. The apparatus 100 can be a computer- controlled system to create machines which can produce parts in a much larger array of sizes and geometries.

Referring now to figure 3, an arrangement 300 of plurality of automated layup making heads 102 is illustrated in accordance with the present subject matter. In one embodiment, when the ALM head 102 may be mounted, there may be a small gap between the ALM head 102 and the bed 105. During the layup process the end roller 501 (shown in figure 5) of the ALM head 102 can be electronically engaged onto the bed 105 to press down on the laid-up carbon fibre prepreg slit tape(s) 601. This ensures proper adhesion between the plastic sheet 101 and the carbon fibre prepreg slit tape(s) 601 and also allows for quick operations on the ALM head 102. Additional ALM head 102 may be easily mounted or unmounted for repair, replacement or refill and can be auto-aligned upon assembly. In one embodiment, the ALM heads 102 can be arranged in an optimised zig-zag manner to compensate for loss of space which occurs when the width of the ALM head 102 is much larger as compared to its output. The output of a single ALM head 102 in this case can be comprised of a single carbon fibre prepreg slit tape 601 or of multiple carbon fibre prepreg slit tapes 601 whose combined width is significantly larger than the width of the ALM head 102. In another embodiment, one or more ALM heads 102 may be placed in a single row. The apparatus 100 enables alteration of the number of ALM heads 102 to produce parts of different widths. Spools of carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 can be easily replaced or refilled in the ALM heads 102. The ALM heads 102 may be mounted onto the mounting shroud 106 using the head mounting brackets 301. Once all the ALM heads 102 may be mounted, a locking bar 302 may be is engaged as a secondary safety mechanism to keep the heads 102 from falling off during operation. This modularity ensures ease of maintenance and replacement for the individual heads 102 in the apparatus 100.

Referring now to figure 4, a locking and alignment mechanism 400 for ALM head gantry extension 202 is illustrated in accordance with the present subject matter. In one embodiment, when the bed 105 width is required to be extended, additional table surfaces 201 and gantry extension 202 may be attached onto the apparatus 100. As part of this process, the gantry extension 202 may be mounted onto the existing mounting shroud 106. Multiple guide pins 401 may be provided on the automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension 202 for precise and accurate alignment. Bolts 402 may help secure the automated layup making (ALM) head gantry extension 202 to the existing gantry mounting shroud 106. Such a mechanism 400 allows for precise and accurate alignment of the components along with enabling effective load transfer to the gantry 106 when additional ALM heads 102 may be mounted. A similar mechanism is also incorporated into the sheet cutter gantry extension when the bed 105 width is extended.

Referring now to figure 5, an electronically adjusted roller arrangement 500 for automated layup making heads 102 is illustrated in accordance with the present subject matter. In one embodiment, when the ALM heads 102 may be mounted, there may be a gap between the end roller 501 mounted inside the ALM head 102 and the thin plastic sheet 101 which is on the bed 105. This gap ensures ease of mounting and unmounting the ALM heads 102 when required. In one embodiment, when the apparatus 100 is started, the ALM heads 102 may bring the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 between the end roller 501 and the thin plastic sheet 101 on the bed 105. The end roller, when electronically engaged, moves towards the direction of the plastic sheet 101 and presses the slit tape(s) 601 against it, thereby adhering it to the plastic sheet 101. The electronically adjusted roller mechanism part of the ALM head 102 provides control over the pressure applied to the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601. This is an essential feature of the ALM head 102 as it ensures that the slit tape(s) 601 properly adhere to the thin plastic sheet 101 below it and can be effectively cut out at the end of the layup process.

Referring now to figure 6, a top view 600 of an optimized arrangement of automated layup making heads 102 laying slit tape(s) 601 is illustrated in accordance with the present subject matter. In one embodiment, the ALM heads 102 may be arranged in an optimized manner such as but may not be limited to in a zig-zag manner into two rows, stacked zigzag manner for more rows, etc to compensate for loss of space taken up by the head shroud. The output slit tape(s) 601 of such an embodiment will have the tapes arranged adjacent to each other with a controlled gap or overlap between them. In another embodiment where the slit tape(s) are much narrower as compared to the ALM heads 102, the heads can be arranged into three (3) or four (4) rows. Therefore, based on the layup requirements and dimensions, the ALM heads 102 can be arranged in multiple rows. The gap or overlap between the slit tape(s) can be controlled to be within the allowed tolerances. The ALM heads 102 in adjacent rows can be aligned with each other with the help of an alignment surface 602.

Referring now to figure 7, a method 700 is shown for automated layup making process in accordance with present subject matter. At step 701 , it may be ensured that the required number of ALM heads 102 are assembled on the apparatus 100, by adjusting the said ALM heads 102 as per requirement, in order to create the desired shape and that the size of layup fits the width of the bed 105. The modularity and scalability of the apparatus 100 ensures that a variable number of ALM heads 102 can be used according to the layup requirement.

In one embodiment, width of the required layup matches with the width of the possible layup that can be laid with present number of ALM heads 102. Additional ALM heads 102 and an additional table surface 201 are not required to be mounted in this scenario and the apparatus 100 can be operated as is.

In another embodiment where the layup size is smaller than the width of the bed 105 but require additional ALM heads 102 to achieve the correct layup width, additional ALM heads 102 may be mounted onto the mounting shroud 106 and may be automatically aligned with each other. In this manner, the number of ALM heads 102 can be increased until it completely fills the existing gantry system of the apparatus.

In yet another embodiment where the layup is wider than the width of the bed 105, the bed width is extended by means of an additional table surface 201 which may be mounted onto the bed 105 using internal base structure supports 203. Guiding surfaces are provided along with the internal base structure supports 203 to allow smooth and precise mounting. A gantry extension 202 may also added along with additional ALM heads 102 to lay the required part and the heads are automatically aligned with each other. The gantry system of the sheet cutter 104 is also extended during this process. All the extension systems have alignment mechanisms which maintain precision and accuracy once they are attached.

In all previously described embodiments, in a condition where the width of the layup is lesser than the maximum possible layup width of the apparatus 100, multiple such layups may be laid down simultaneously. If the width of the layup is less than half the possible layup width of the apparatus 100, then two (2) such layups can be laid down simultaneously and so on and so forth. In such scenarios, the efficiency of the apparatus 100 and the process 700 in significantly increased. Once the bed 105 and ALM heads 102 are set up as required, the apparatus 100 is started, and the heads may be locked in place. An additional locking bar 302 may be engaged as a safety mechanism to keep the heads in place during operation. The ALM heads 102 are loaded with one or more spools of raw material which are the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601.

At step 702, the sheet roller 103 may pull a layer of thin plastic sheet 101 onto the top of the bed surface. The sheet roller 103 is motorised and is controlled by the processor. The primary function of the sheet roller 103 is to continually provide a fresh area of the thin plastic sheet 101 to the layup area under the ALM heads 102 as the layup process proceeds. The secondary function of the sheet roller 103 is to bring the laid up thin plastic sheet to the sheet cutter 104, which is explained in step 705.

In step 703, carbon fibre prepreg raw material in the form of slit tape(s) 601 rolled onto spools may be loaded into the ALM heads 102. Once the spools are loaded into the ALM heads 102, the carbon fibre prepreg slit tape(s) 601 are guided along the rollers present inside the ALM head 102 till it reaches the end roller 501.

As part of step 704, the memory coupled with the processor is first fed with the present configuration of the apparatus 100 which defines the number of ALM heads 102 and carbon fibre prepreg slits tape(s) 601 mounted on it. The memory coupled with the processor may then be fed with information about the shape required to be laid, which is a set of executable instructions.

At step 705, depositing of the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601, via automated layup making heads 102, onto the thin plastic sheet 101, in a predefined dimension, as instructed via the processor may be performed. As the depositing process begins, the end roller 501 inside the ALM heads 102 is electronically engaged to ensure that the carbon fibre prepreg slit tape(s) 601 are properly pressed onto the thin plastic sheet 101 and the gap between the roller 501 and the thin plastic sheet 101 is controlled. As the ALM heads 102 deposits the material, the roll of thin plastic sheet 101 feeds a continuous sheet of thin plastic onto which the layup is done. The sheet roller 103 may continue to constantly pull the thin plastic sheet 101 as long as the ALM heads 102 lay the slit tape(s) 601 on it. The processor maintains the linear speed of the sheet roller 103 and matches it with the linear speed of the end roller 501. This ensures that the carbon fibre prepreg slit tape(s) 601 and the thin plastic sheet 101 may move at the same speed on top of the bed 105 and have no relative motion between the thin plastic sheet 101 and the carbon fibre prepreg slit tape(s) 601. This configuration may help in the adhesion of the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 to the plastic sheet 101 when the layup proceeds.

As step 705 continues, the depositing process proceeds, and the slit tape(s) 601 may be laid up. During this step, the motorised sheet roller 103 may continue to pull the thin plastic sheet 101 along with the layup and brings it to the sheet cutter 104.

At step 706, the sheet cutter 104 may operate separately or simultaneously with the layup process to cut the required areas. The sheet cutter 104 may be held on a gantry mechanism which has two translational degrees of freedom. The cutter blade which is part of the sheet cutter 104 has an additional rotational degree of freedom along with an engagement and disengagement mechanism. In accordance with the information fed into the memory coupled with the processor, the processor may execute instructions wherein, the sheet cutter 104 may move along the bed 105 and cut out the required shape from the layup.

In one embodiment, the automated layup making apparatus 100 may perform step 705 and step 706 simultaneously for a single consolidated layup. As the layup process proceeds slowly, the sheet cutter 104 may start operating when any area of the ongoing layup comes into the sheet cutters range. As per the information fed into the memory coupled with the processor, the processor may execute instructions wherein, the sheet cutter 104 cuts the layup continually as the ALM heads 102 continue the ongoing layup process.

In another embodiment, the automated making apparatus 100 may be able to perform step 705 and step 706 simultaneously for multiple discrete layups. As the layup depositions are completed, the sheet roller 103 may provide a fresh area of the thin plastic sheet for the next layup. As the next layup process proceeds slowly, the sheet cutter 104 may start operating when any area of the completed layups comes into the sheet cutters 104 range. As per the information fed into the processor, the sheet cutter 104 cuts the layup continually as the ALM heads 102 continue the subsequent layup process.

In step 707, once the thin plastic sheet and layups are cut as required, they are manually removed from the bed surface. This can be then placed onto a mould, a part or any other surface to create an object or a component. Multiple such layups can be placed upon each other to build thickness to create a finished product. The thin plastic sheet provides a surface which allows for easier handling of the carbon fiber prepreg until it is placed onto a mould, another layup or any other surface. Once placed, the thin plastic sheet can be removed to expose the layup if subsequent layups need to be added or if the part is completed and requires any post-processing.

At step 708, the thin plastic sheet 101 may be moved via a sheet roller 103. The sheet roller

103 is motorized and configured to enable rolling of the thin plastic sheet 101 after the removal of said cut-out required shape, built by the carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601, thereby providing a fresh area of the thin plastic sheet 101 to the automated layup heads 102 for building a new layup and also to move the laid up area, of the required shape, to the sheet cutter

104 after completion of the layup process.

There are several advantages of using the automated layup making apparatus 100 over the widely used automatic cutting machines in the industry. The carbon fiber industry currently makes use of these automatic cutting machines for cutting carbon fiber prepregs into the required shapes for hand layup. For the efficient use of such machines, special software is utilised for nesting the required shapes together. The nesting process involves bringing together all required layup shapes into a specific arrangement so as to minimise material wastage during cutting. Even with the use of such software, automatic cutting machines incur a large amount of raw material wastage. The automated layup making apparatus 100 described here can bring down the raw material wastage significantly in such processes because the slit tape(s) 601 are laid down only in the required final shape for hand layup. As a result of this specific method of layup, the sheet cutter 104 is only required to cut the thin plastic sheet and not the carbon fibre prepreg slit tape(s) 601.

Typically, in automatic cutting machines, as part of the nesting process described previously, a large number of layups are pooled together for cutting. To further reduce raw material wastage during this process, carbon fibre prepreg layups which are required at a later point in time are also cut out along with layups which are required currently for an ongoing hand layup process. Significant raw material wastage will be incurred if such machines are operated on an on-demand basis in such scenarios. The automated layup making apparatus 100 described here, due to its inherently minimal raw material wastage, eliminates the need of the nesting process, and therefore, carbon fibre prepregs can be made and cut separately as and when required. In this manner, the automated layup making apparatus is capable of on-demand production especially at a reduced raw material usage.

Generally, when automatic cutting machines are used in the industry, some carbon fibre prepregs may be cut at a much earlier stage than when they are required as described previously. In such scenarios, the quality of the raw materials may deteriorate, as they have a predefined“out-life”. Out- life is the amount of time carbon fiber prepregs can be exposed to ambient temperatures (generally defined as 2l°C) before their material properties start degrading. The out- life of such prepregs may range from a few hours to a few days. As the raw material is removed from a cold storage (usually -l8°C), they spend a large amount of time in ambient temperature during the cutting process. After the cutting process, they are kept back in cold storage until their requirement arises. Due to the exposure to ambient temperature for a large period of time, and also due to the large temperature changes as they are shifted into and out of the cold storage repeatedly, the output quality of the layups are affected significantly. As on-demand production is feasible along with being efficient with the use of the automated layup making apparatus 100 and the associated process 700, it consequently helps to maintain raw material properties of the carbon fiber prepregs as compared to when automatic cutting machines are used. This in turn allows for high performance parts to be manufactured, some of which require high quality levels if they are critical components in the aerospace or energy industries.

The scalability of the automated layup making apparatus 100 provides users with the freedom to use the same apparatus in multiple configurations according to their requirements. In the case of automatic cutting machines, when operating at full capacity, a second machine is required to be operated in the case of an increase in production. In contrast with this scenario, the automated layup making apparatus 100 can simply be extended using its extension systems to handle a larger demand in production. Therefore, such a configuration is more economical and easier to manage and operate as compared to use of multiple automatic cutting machines. Similarly, in contrast with automatic cutting machines, the automated layup making apparatus 100 can be configured for various production demands, all while maintaining the minimal raw material wastage. The carbon fiber prepreg slit tape(s) 601 is only laid down only where it is required, thereby reducing the raw material wastage otherwise incurred. The carbon fiber prepreg sit tape(s) 601 is only laid down to create layups on-demand, thereby maintaining the quality of the raw material as the layups need not be prepared earlier than required and can be kept at optimum storage conditions until use. The same modular automated layup making apparatus 100 can be adapted for use in multiple configurations as per various production demands at minimal raw material wastage. Therefore, the modular automated layup making apparatus 100 is very cost-effective even when various different production requirements are made. Although implementations of a modular automated layup making apparatus 100 and method 700 for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features are disclosed as examples of a modular automated layup making apparatus and method for preparing carbon fiber unidirectional prepregs.