“The aerospace industry uses ultra-precise manufacturing methods to build highly tailored carbon fiber structures for the latest generation of air jetliners and fighter aircraft, particularly for large, crucial parts such as aircraft fuselage and wings. This is achieved via the robotic depositing of composite tapes to layer structures, over traditional hand layup using pre-impregnated materials. And it is a rapid pace, ‘high rate’ version of this production method that McLaren has developed and now integrated into its manufacturing capabilities,” McLaren said.

Unlike the aerospace industry method of using robotic arms to layer composite tapes, McLaren’s Automated Rapid Tape method instead employs a specially designed machine using a fixed deposition head and a rapidly moving bed capable of rotation, which is a faster manufacturing process suitable for automotive purposes and high-rate composites manufacturing.