Enhanced Production Control for Prepreg Manufacturing

Fiber-reinforced plastics are a lightweight material with outstanding mechanical properties. On the one hand the application of those materials can have an outstanding contribution to product performance (e. g. energy efficiency). On the other hand fiber-reinforced plastics are not used very frequently due to their high manufacturing costs. At the same time, industrial production faces megatrends within a turbulent environment asking for highly individualized products and very short and reliable delivery times. Motivated by the combination of those two aspects, we propose an enhanced production control method for the manufacturing of preimpregnated fiber (prepreg) parts based on a survey among manufacturers of such parts. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.