FiberGrafiX™

Generating Patterns

With over 40 years’ experience, Entec Composite Machines is the world’s leader in filament winding machinery and software. This expertise has allowed us to create FiberGrafiX™, a superior software application for filament winding pattern generation and optimization. It was introduced more than twenty years ago as the worlds first pattern generation program. Since then FiberGrafiX™ has continued to lead the industry and is now used on more machines around the world than any other similar application. And now, patterns generated by FiberGrafiX™ can be output to any filament winding machine’s computer control system.

Filament winding is the process of winding resin-impregnated fiber or tape on a mandrel surface in a precise geometric pattern. This is accomplished by rotating the mandrel while a delivery head precisely positions fibers on the mandrel surface. The process can be highly automated, and is easy to replicate from part to part. The ability to accurately wind fibers at high production rates while providing high strength-to-weight ratios makes it one of the most effective of all manufacturing methods. Directional strength and stiffness through the wound part can be optimized by aligning the fibers in the direction of the loads. This makes fiber orientation critical to the performance of the part and largely determines the properties of the part. FiberGrafiX is unsurpassed in its ability to design and analyze wound parts and to define optimum fiber paths and the machine motions required for the efficient manufacturing of those parts. In FiberGrafiX™, patterns are created by defining the mandrel geometry upon which the fiber paths are placed, in much the same way that parts are physically wound. Mandrel geometry is defined by filling in simple menus describing the part or by importing CAD geometry. Friction modeling is used to optimize the fiber paths and create stable winding patterns for the wound layers as well as transitional fiber paths from layer to layer. This allows patterns to be created with less trial and error, showing slip and fiber bridging tendencies before the part is actually wound.

FiberGrafiX™ generates fiber paths and creates the machine motions necessary to wind parts for machines having between two to six axes of motion. Pattern optimization provides accurate fiber placement at high winding speeds. A finite element interface is available to simplify the task of creating finite element analysis (FEA) models.

Automation options allow the user to decide what level of automation is required for the project, and can be activated by simply checking a dialog box on the computer screen. This can make programming the part as easy as filling in a menu, describing the part, and then letting the program create the fiber path and corresponding winding machine program. Automation makes program use easier but limits some control over automated modules. The user is also given the option of supervising and modifying every step of the pattern creation process if desired.On-line manuals and context-specific help menus make learning and using the program much easier.

Additionally, FiberGrafiX™ screens are now rendered in a 3D, 360-degree zoom format which allows the user to view the part from any angle or distance.