Robotic AFP Process Development for Smart Composite Manufacturing of Adaptive Aerospace Structures

Additive Manufacturing (AM) combined with Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) enables the fabrication of lightweight, multifunctional composite structures for advanced aerospace applications. AM allows the integration of smart materials such as shape memory alloys (SMA), while AFP lays down fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) with robotic precision. This thesis focuses on developing an AFP workflow that supports these future capabilities through robotic programming and experimentation. In the master's thesis, the candidate presents the Robotic Automated Fiber Placement process. The candidate presents in detail the technologies of fiber layup, focusing on programmable robotic placement using a 6-axis industrial robot. The candidate investigates the effects of different fiber placement strategies on various mold surfaces for smart composite structures and demonstrates surface-adaptive toolpaths to validate placement accuracy. In the methodology chapter the candidate describes the materials, and the equipment used and the experimental plan. The candidate processes and presents the results appropriately and discusses their significance. The candidate summarizes the findings in conclusions.