Plug-n-play AFP/ATL equipment, adaptive mold and integration solutions eases adoption

Addcomp began as a startup company that designs reliable and user-friendly composites manufacturing systems. Part of the IND Group in Sherbrooke, Canada, with bespline (Sherbrooke), Addcomp offers plug-n-play automated fiber placement (AFP) with AFP-XS from Addcomposites (Espoo, Finland), a system that mounts onto almost any robotic arm and is easy to program using its own Addpath software. The modular, lightweight system offers small companies access to automated layup via lease or purchase at a fraction of the cost of bigger industrial systems currently used by aerospace OEMs.

Addcomp is a North American distributor for AFP-XS systems. It also offers AFP-X multi-tow AFP heads, with optional tape winding and the SCF3D continuous fiber additive manufacturing (AM) system. The automation company also works with North American customers to design, optimize and install complete integrated systems customized to meet their needs including cell size, small to large robots, rotary tables, linear rails, additional axes for winding, a tape slitting machine for in-house materials production and installation support and training.

Furthermore, Addcomp has recently signed a partnership with Adapa A/S (Aalborg, Denmark), to distribute and install its adaptive molds in North America. Addcomp comes to this collaboration with 3 years of experience through its use manufacture bespoke doubly curved composite panels by beSpline.

There have been many Addcomp equipment installations, including at the Quebec Composites Development Centre (CDCQ), Purdue University, Polytechnic Montreal, National Research Council Canada and Composite Energy Technologies.