Addcomposites Learn · For instructors
Four free video courses, 179 lessons, every lesson built on a live simulation. No account needed, and free to use in class.
The courses
Every lesson has a transcript and captions. Link students to a course, a chapter or a single lesson.
The foundation: why a composite part is designed ply by ply, what a ply is made of and what it weighs, stacking rules, laminate stiffness, strength and failure, ply drops, and handing a design to the shop. Lessons show the design in AddPly, our browser app for laminate design; the theory behind drape and failure is taught on our own simulations.
How AFP really works: the machine, the defects, path planning, inspection, cure and certification. Built on the book by Ramy Harik & Alex Brasington, with the authors' permission.
Winding patterns and how they close, geodesic and non-geodesic paths on domes, sizing a pressure vessel, the machine and its axes, tension and resin control, and testing what you wound. Built by our engineers, with the classic references as further reading.
Printing metre-scale parts and tools from pellets: the extruder and the bead, layer time and the weld, fibre and warp, machines and machining, and printed tooling. Built by our engineers from the open research literature.
How to use it in class
Every course follows the same structure, so it fits a lecture week without rework.
One idea per lesson, about 3 minutes on average. Link a lesson or a whole chapter as pre-lecture viewing and spend class time on the questions it raises.
Every lesson stops to ask what happens next, then runs the simulation to show it. Students commit to an answer before they see one.
Every chapter ends with a five-question check. Four of five is a pass and retakes are unlimited. Answers are graded on our side, so the key is not on the page.
Students who pass every chapter check of a course can claim a free certificate with a verifiable serial and add it to LinkedIn. Claiming it takes a free sign-up with an email address.
Syllabus map
Every chapter of every course, with its lessons and running time. Each chapter links to its first lesson. Minutes are rounded per chapter.
| Ch. | Chapter | Lessons | Count | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why design a laminate | 1.1–1.4 | 4 | 9 |
| 2 | The ply | 2.1–2.5 | 5 | 11 |
| 3 | Stacking | 3.1–3.6 | 6 | 13 |
| 4 | Stiffness | 4.1–4.5 | 5 | 11 |
| 5 | Strength and failure | 5.1–5.5 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | From coupon to part | 6.1–6.6 | 6 | 12 |
| 7 | Changing thickness | 7.1–7.5 | 5 | 10 |
| 8 | Handing off to the shop | 8.1–8.5 | 5 | 11 |
| Whole course | 41 | 86 |
| Ch. | Chapter | Lessons | Count | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction and History | 1.1–1.4 | 4 | 17 |
| 2 | AFP Process Parameters | 2.1–2.6 | 6 | 23 |
| 3 | AFP Defects | 3.1–3.6 | 6 | 27 |
| 4 | Process Planning | 4.1–4.6 | 6 | 27 |
| 5 | Layup Strategies | 5.1–5.6 | 6 | 28 |
| 6 | Inspection | 6.1–6.7 | 7 | 24 |
| 7 | Curing and Testing | 7.1–7.5 | 5 | 16 |
| 8 | The Future of AFP | 8.1–8.6 | 6 | 23 |
| Whole course | 46 | 185 |
| Ch. | Chapter | Lessons | Count | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why winding | 1.1–1.4 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | The netting idea | 2.1–2.4 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | Paths on curved surfaces | 3.1–3.6 | 6 | 16 |
| 4 | Domes and the pole | 4.1–4.5 | 5 | 12 |
| 5 | Patterns | 5.1–5.5 | 5 | 11 |
| 6 | The machine and the cell | 6.1–6.6 | 6 | 12 |
| 7 | Fibre, resin and tension | 7.1–7.6 | 6 | 11 |
| 8 | Testing, tanks and what's next | 8.1–8.6 | 6 | 11 |
| Whole course | 42 | 99 |
| Ch. | Chapter | Lessons | Count | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why print big | 1.1–1.4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | The extruder | 2.1–2.4 | 4 | 9 |
| 3 | The bead | 3.1–3.4 | 4 | 9 |
| 4 | Layer time and the weld | 4.1–4.7 | 7 | 14 |
| 5 | What's in the pellet | 5.1–5.5 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | Choosing and handling a material | 6.1–6.7 | 7 | 14 |
| 7 | Warp and design | 7.1–7.6 | 6 | 11 |
| 8 | Machines, paths and machining | 8.1–8.7 | 7 | 13 |
| 9 | Tools, recycling and what's next | 9.1–9.6 | 6 | 11 |
| Whole course | 50 | 100 |
Free tools
AddPly, AddWind and AddPath are free for teaching and research; commercial use is paid. AddPly and AddWind open in the browser after a sign-in.
Laminate design in the browser: regions, ply stacks with live stacking-rule checks, thickness, mass and the ply book. The Composites Design course is taught in it.
Open AddPlyFilament winding software: plan the laminate, check the transitions, and watch the machine move.
Open AddWindPlans and simulates placement, continuous fibre printing, winding and trimming. Email us for teaching or research access.
About AddPathAddPly and AddWind can both be driven from an AI assistant through MCP, so students can design a laminate or a wound part by describing it; lesson 8.5 of Composites Design shows how. Ask us for access.
More courses are coming.
Get in touch
Want to use these with your class or explore working together? Email us.
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