Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) and Automated Tape Laying (ATL) technologies are mostly used in
aerospace industry. Deviations from predefined position and orientation of the AFP/ATL machine’s end-effector may
cause defects of the final product like gaps and laps of the laminate ply, tow end placement errors, pressure and
temperature variations, etc. That makes clear the importance of accuracy of AFP/ATL machines. Calibration is needed
to enhance accuracy.
Development and implementation of a comprehensive procedure for volumetric calibration of three linear axes is
described in this paper. According to ISO 230-1:2012 and ISO 230-2:2014 standards, 18 position dependent and 3
position independent (in total 21) errors of the 3 linear axes are considered. Measurements are performed using laser
interferometer on ATL machine produced by company Mikrosam. Obtained data are used for calibration of that
machine and validity of the results is verified by comparison with the calibration results obtained by TRAC-CAL
software developed by ETALON AG
