Process models: A cornerstone to composites 4.0

Abstract

Simulation methods for composites manufacturing processes have existed for many years and more recently, with the acceleration of digital technologies, there is increased interest in them. However, industrial uptake and the routine use of these models in the design and manufacture of composite parts has not yet occurred at the same scale as simulation of mechanical performance. This Viewpoint/Perspective article presents and discusses the current state-of-the-art in composites manufacturing simulation and the barriers to their wider adoption, such as large material and process variabilities and the lack of fast numerical models. We also share some personal thoughts on future research directions and how recent academic developments in the field, aiming at increasing model efficiency, leveraging new more efficient hardware (e.g. GPUs) and recent developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence could allow process simulation to become one of the cornerstones of a Composites 4.0 strategy. At the end, the reader should be more familiar with the current state of the art in composites process simulations and have gained an understanding of avenues for progress, in particular their use within a composites 4.0 framework.