What is AddPath: Ultimate Solution for Precision Path Planning and Digital Twin

We're excited to present AddPath, our proprietary offline programming software, engineered specifically for our AFP-XS. Crafted by our dedicated in-house team, AddPath is designed to provide a comprehensive solution for your path planning needs.

With its ability to read CAD surfaces, input a variety of parameters, and provide visual notifications, this tool is instrumental in streamlining the fiber placement process while giving you complete control over all relevant functions.

Unleashing the Power of AddPath

With AddPath, you get to drive the car. How does it work?

• Reading CAD Surfaces: AddPath can effortlessly read CAD surfaces (.stp/.step/.igs), including layup and boundary information. This enables you to apply tapes in specific areas and orientations, maximizing the properties of your fibers.
• Parameter Input: You can input a variety of parameters as per your requirements. This includes the layup area, fiber orientation, number of layers, material weight, and more. Plus, you can control robot speeds, acceleration, heater intensity, and other trigger points.
• Visual Notifications: Once you've defined all variables, AddPath will animate the planned layup, and visually notify you of any errors during the process. It also reports critical information such as the time and material required to complete the layup.

Benefits of Using AddPath

The advantages of incorporating AddPath into your workflow are manifold:

• User Friendly: With minimal training, you can quickly learn to create and experiment with various AFP path options and evaluate their impact on your composite part’s design.
• Open Access: The cloud-based license lets anyone in your organization create programs and perform simulations for AFP, right from their personal or work computers.
• Simulated AFP Tape Courses: AddPath allows you to simulate programmed AFP tape courses, predict and measure the effects of various factors on your process, and plan single or multiple tow paths in one course of motion.
• Waste Reduction: By eliminating multiple trials and virtualizing the production, AddPath reduces waste, making your process more efficient and sustainable.

Future Developments in AddPath

In the near future, you can look forward to several exciting features, including:

• The ability to export tape course geometry to standard CAD formats for further evaluation.
• The option to import captured data during the process and analyze the production data compared to planned parameters.
• The capability to upload the FEA Software mesh to AddPath and return a tape geometry data, enabling structural simulation with virtual production data.

What Powers AddPath

AddPath is built on the robust Rhino platform, which solidifies its position as an ideal tool for future development. Please note that Rhino should be purchased directly by the user and is not provided by Addcomposites.

Key Features of AddPath

Here are some key features that make AddPath an essential tool for your composites manufacturing process:

• 2D & 3D open shape planning single tow: This feature allows you to plan the path of a single tow, a single band of fiber, in both 2D and 3D. This is particularly useful for complex shapes and contours where you need to control the exact path the fiber takes.
• Ply and Tape Editing: This feature gives you the ability to modify ply and tape parameters, enabling you to adjust the fiber placement as per your design and structural requirements.
• Gap/overlap/steering analysis: This tool analyses the gaps and overlaps in the fiber placement and provides guidance on how to steer the fiber path to optimize the structural integrity and performance of the composite material.
• Robot Simulation and Program Generation: AddPath can simulate the actions of a robot to ensure that the planned path is feasible. It can also generate a program for the robot to follow, ensuring accuracy and repeatability in fiber placement.
• Collision Detection Analysis: This safety feature identifies potential collision points in the planned path and allows you to adjust the path or the robot's movements to prevent collisions.
• Tool File Modification: You can modify the tool file to accommodate different manufacturing requirements. This offers flexibility to customize your process based on your unique needs.
• Tape Winding (up to 8 axes): This feature enables you to plan the winding of fiber tapes in up to eight axes, offering a high degree of flexibility and precision in fiber placement.
• 2D & 3D open shape planning Multi tow (up to 8 tows): This allows for planning the path of multiple tows (up to 8) simultaneously, increasing the efficiency and productivity of your composite manufacturing process.
• Pre-processor editing: This feature lets you edit the existing path planning code or write your own pre-processor using AddPath native library. Providing you with control over the final output and ensuring it meets your specific manufacturing requirements.
• Post processor editing: This feature lets you edit the post-processor settings, providing you with control over the final output and ensuring it meets your specific manufacturing requirements.
• FEA software interoperability: AddPath can work in tandem with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, allowing you to perform structural simulations and optimize your composite design.
  

• Non-Linear heater control: This gives you the ability to control the heater's intensity in a non-linear fashion, offering precise control over the curing process of the composite material.
• Data Collection and Visualization: AddPath collects process data and visualizes it for easy interpretation. This helps you monitor your process in real time and make informed decisions.
• Quality data logging & reporting: This feature records the quality data of your manufacturing process and generates reports, aiding in quality assurance and continuous process improvement (read more here).
• Custom Path generation: You can create custom paths for fiber placement, giving you the flexibility to create unique composite designs. (Watch a video showcasing the feature here)
• Cloud-based licensing: The software licensing is cloud-based, enabling you to access AddPath from any device, at any location, providing a high degree of flexibility and accessibility.

Ready to Dive Deeper into AddPath?

If you're intrigued by the powerful features of AddPath and eager to see it in action, we invite you to visit the AddPath webpage. There, you'll find detailed tutorials that will guide you through the ins and outs of our innovative software, helping you make the most of its capabilities.

Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your path-planning process with AddPath. Click to visit the AddPath webpage and download the tutorials. Begin your journey toward a more efficient, precise, and controlled fiber placement process today!

What's Next!

Discover the future of composite manufacturing with Addcomposites! Here's how you can get involved:

1. Stay Informed: Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates, news, and developments in AFP systems and services. Knowledge is power, and by staying informed, you'll always have the upper hand. Subscribe Now
2. Experience Our Technology: Try our cutting-edge simulation software for a firsthand experience of the versatility and capability of our AFP systems. You'll see how our technology can transform your production line. Try Simulation
3. Join the Collaboration: Engage with us and other technical centers across various industries. By joining this collaborative platform, you'll get to share ideas, innovate, and influence the future of AFP. Join Collaboration
4. Get Hands-On: Avail our educational rentals for university projects or semester-long programs. Experience how our AFP systems bring about a revolution in composite manufacturing and leverage this opportunity for academic and research pursuits. Request for Educational Rental
5. Take the Next Step: Request a quotation for our AFP systems. Whether you're interested in the AFP-XS, AFP-X, or SCF3D, we are committed to offering cost-effective solutions tailored to your needs. Take the plunge and prepare your production line for the next generation of composite manufacturing. Request Quotation

At Addcomposites, we are dedicated to revolutionizing composite manufacturing. Our AFP systems and comprehensive support services are waiting for you to harness. So, don't wait – get started on your journey to the future of manufacturing today!