A combined optical and thermal model for the laser assisted tape placement process is presented. The optical model adopts a ray tracing procedure, based on the Fresnel equations, to predict the incident heat flux on the tape and substrate near the nip-point. The heat flux distribution is subsequently used in a one-dimensional thermal model to predict the temperature distribution in the tape and substrate. The results demonstrate that for small incident laser angles a part of the laser light is reflected at the surface, which significantly influences the temperature distribution in the nip-point. The presented model allows, with a weld strength and consolidation model, optimization of the processing parameters
