Building a Case for Automated Composite Lay-up

Aerospace and automotive industries continue to replace traditional metallic parts with those made of composites materials. Due to this trend, composites parts manufacturers are struggling to keep up with increasing part production rates. Businesses must decide between hiring more employees and adopting more progressive manufacturing techniques. High startup costs often deter companies from buying into automated layup. Yet even with a substantial initial investment, top aerospace have adopted this process and capitalize from the many benefits of automated layup. Automation does not fit every business model. This presentation aims to educate readers on whether or not automation is right for them. 

Primary Topics: 
• Gain exposure to some of the nuances of automated composites manufacturing 
• Understand the benefits of automated composites layup 
• What to consider before investing in automated equipment. 

Presenter: André Colvin 
Mr. Colvin’s involvement in advanced composites began in college where he graduated with a B.S. in engineering that focused on the theory and manufacturing of composites. After college Andre took an intern position at SpaceX as a composites manufacturing engineer where he worked primarily on the development of the falcon 9 rocket. This lead to a position as a lead composites manufacturing engineer for an aerospace parts vendor in Lake Forest California. There he was responsible for composite process planning and tool design. Mr. Colvin has worked at CGTech since 2016 supporting the development of the composite software product line.