Path planning and post-processing algorithm for fiber placement of the aircraft tail

A novel approach is proposed for the path planning of the aircraft tail in automated fiber placement (AFP), which combines the fixed angle path planning algorithm with the isometric offset algorithm. In this method, the fixed angle path planning algorithm is used to generate the tows centerline (i.e. the placement trajectory) and boundary line, and the isometric offset algorithm is used for the single tow path. Post-processing is also studied in this paper, including the insertion of auxiliary control points, the connection of tows centerlines and the inverse kinematics of the AFP machine. Finally, the generated G codes are verified on a virtual machine tool in VERICUT.