Fiber placement device

Abstract

A fiber placement device that includes a placement plane on which a reinforcing fiber tow is placed and stacked; a tow arranging mechanism which presses and places the reinforcing fiber tow against and on the placement plane; and a heating mechanism which is configured to heat the placement plane. In one placement cycle, the tow arranging mechanism presses a group of the reinforcing fiber tows against the placement plane heated in advance by the heating mechanism, moves by a predetermined length in a first axial direction to glue and fix the group of the reinforcing fiber tows onto the placement plane, and move the placement plane in a second axial direction which substantially intersects the first axial direction.

1 .- 4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . A fiber placement device comprising:
 a placement base including a placement plane on which a reinforcing fiber tow is placed and stacked;   a tow arranging mechanism configured to feed the reinforcing fiber tow while pressing the reinforcing fiber tow against the placement plane, and place the reinforcing fiber tow on the placement plane along a first direction;   a heating mechanism configured to heat part of an area of the placement plane; and   a control unit that controls the fiber placement device, wherein   the placement base and the tow arranging mechanism are configured to relatively move in a second direction that intersects the first direction,   the placement base and the heating mechanism are configured to relatively move in the second direction,   the control unit is configured to repeatedly perform a placement cycle that includes   first processing of causing the tow arranging mechanism to place the reinforcing fiber tow of a predetermined length on the placement plane along the first direction, and   second processing of relatively moving the placement base in the second direction with respect to the tow arranging mechanism, and   the control unit causes the heating mechanism to heat at least part of an area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed in an nth (n is a natural number equal to or more than two) placement cycle until an (n−1)th placement cycle is finished.   
     
     
         6 . The fiber placement device according to  claim 5 , wherein the control unit causes the heating mechanism to heat the whole area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed in the nth placement cycle until the (n−1)th placement cycle is finished. 
     
     
         7 . The fiber placement device according to  claim 5 , wherein the control unit causes the heating mechanism to heat at least the part of the area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed in the nth placement cycle during a period in which the (n−1)th placement cycle is executed. 
     
     
         8 . The fiber placement device according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the heating mechanism includes a plurality of heating devices placed along the first direction and configured to be each independently controlled, and   the control unit sets a higher temperature to a heating device which heats an area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed last in the nth placement cycle among the plurality of heating devices than a temperature of a heating device which heats an area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed first in the nth placement cycle among the plurality of heating devices.   
     
     
         9 . The fiber placement device according to  claim 6 , wherein the control unit causes the heating mechanism to heat at least the part of the area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed in the nth placement cycle during a period in which the (n−1)th placement cycle is executed. 
     
     
         10 . The fiber placement device according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the heating mechanism includes a plurality of heating devices placed along the first direction and configured to be each independently controlled, and   the control unit sets a higher temperature to a heating device which heats an area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed last in the nth placement cycle among the plurality of heating devices than a temperature of a heating device which heats an area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed first in the nth placement cycle among the plurality of heating devices.   
     
     
         11 . The fiber placement device according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the heating mechanism includes a plurality of heating devices placed along the first direction and configured to be each independently controlled, and   the control unit sets a higher temperature to a heating device which heats an area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed last in the nth placement cycle among the plurality of heating devices than a temperature of a heating device which heats an area in which the reinforcing fiber tow is placed first in the nth placement cycle among the plurality of heating devices.