Robotic Filament Winding: Advanced Composite Manufacturing
Carbon ThreeSixty, a leading innovator in advanced composite technologies and manufacturing, continues to offer high-performance composite production capabilities with the full operational integration of its 6-axis robotic filament winding cell. This strategic enhancement solidifies the company’s position as a premier provider of sophisticated, lightweight composite structures for a diverse range of demanding industries.
Filament winding is a cornerstone manufacturing process at Carbon ThreeSixty, enabling the creation of exceptionally strong and lightweight composite components by precisely winding continuous fibres, often pre-impregnated with resin, around a rotating mandrel. This technique is inherently suited for producing hollow, cylindrical, or prismatic parts such as pressure vessels, pipes, and drive shafts, offering superior strength-to-weight ratios, tailored mechanical properties, and remarkable design flexibility over traditional material solutions.
The core of this expanded capability is a 6-axis high payload robot with an in-house designed and built fibre delivery head, significantly augmenting Carbon ThreeSixty’s manufacturing footprint in Chippenham, UK. This advanced system enables the processing of an extensive array of composite materials with both polymer and ceramic matrices, encompassing dry tow, wet wind, and pre-impregnated formats, allowing for optimal material selection based on application requirements. Notably, the system boasts the capacity to precisely produce parts up to 1.2 metres in diameter and 3.5 metres in length, unlocking a broader spectrum of product development possibilities for clients.
“This advanced filament winding capability is a true game-changer for Carbon ThreeSixty and, more importantly, for our customers,” stated Andy Smith, CSO at Carbon ThreeSixty. “It significantly broadens our scope to tackle complex composite challenges, enabling us to deliver highly optimised solutions for critical applications across a wider range of rapidly growing industries.”
Beyond traditional filament winding, the versatility of this robotic platform extends to its crucial role in the development and implementation of future manufacturing automation processes across Carbon ThreeSixty’s entire advanced product portfolio. This forward-thinking approach ensures the company remains at the cutting edge of composite innovation and efficiency.
The system’s flexibility is further highlighted by its ability to mount parts precisely on either the standalone spindle frame or directly on the robot arm, adapting to diverse component geometries. Four tows (from 3K to 50K) can be processed simultaneously, each individually tension controlled via servo motors. The fibre delivery system is also carefully designed to allow fragile, ultra high performance ceramic fibres to be processed.
This substantial investment underscores Carbon ThreeSixty’s ongoing success and unwavering commitment to continuously enhancing its cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities. With its expanded and highly capable filament winding cell, Carbon ThreeSixty is exceptionally well-positioned to deliver even more optimised, high-performance, and cost-effective composite solutions for its partners in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, energy, defence, and beyond.
