A machine head holds the roller or probe used for your manufacturing operations. The head moves across the surface of the part as specified by your operation. It can feed tows to a roller to apply them to a surface, or operate a probe to identify datum references.
Adjust head parameters to match the equipment you are using in your manufacturing environment. These parameters are found in the Head dialog box that opens when you add or edit a machine head. When you enter values in the head dialog box, standard measurement units such as mm, in, ft (length) and s, ms (time), are accepted. These are automatically converted into the default units of the current document.
This release of TruFiber only supports Automated fiber placement (AFP). With AFP, machine heads feed, clamp, cut and restart multiple tows simultaneously. AFP provides good precision and deposition rates and enables you to process complex geometries.
Minimum Tow Length
The minimum length required for a tow to be fed.
Tow Width
The width of the tows supported by the head.
Maximum Number Of Tows
The maximum number of tows supported by the head.
Tow Gap Control
Set whether the minimum gap between a cut and add of the same tow should be Time or Length.
Minimum Tow Gap
The minimum distance to allow between a cut and add of the same tow. Only enabled if Tow Gap Control is set to Length.
Cut And Add Time
The amount of time needed to cut and then add the same tow. Only enabled if Tow Gap Control is set to Time.
Cut On The Fly
Indicates that the machine can cut the tow while it is in motion.
Material Feed By Tow
Indicates whether the machine supports feeding a different amount of material under the roller during specified parts of the manufacturing process. During normal operation, after a tow has been fed under the roller, the machine releases the material and relies on the friction of the roller and surface to pull the material out of the head. However, when applying material to difficult-to-reach areas such as corners, a round roller might not feed enough material onto the surface. Material Feed By Tow enables the machine to forcefully feed out extra material in situations like these, so that sufficient material will be applied to the hard-to-reach area.
Material Feed Rate By Tow
Indicates whether you want to control the feed rate for each tow independently (if the machine supports it); only available if Material Feed By Tow is selected.
Minimum Tow Feed Distance
When Material Feed By Tow is enabled, this is the minimum amount of extra material that must be forcefully fed to make sure there’s enough friction to continue pulling material out of the head.
Add Feed Rate
The feed rate to use while adding a tow.
Cut Feed Rate
The feed rate to use while cutting a tow.
Laying Feed Rate
The feed rate to use while laying material.
Approach Feed Rate
The feed rate to use while approaching the surface right before starting a course.
Retract Feed Rate
The feed rate to use while retracting from the surface right after ending a course.