Design of A Braiding Machine

Upps al a U niversity log oty pe
ISRN UTH-INGUTB-EX-M-2022/018-SE
Degree project 15 credits

Dec 2022
Design of a braiding machine

For micro-tubing used in reconfigurable fluidic
wearables
Andreas Rishaug & Joakim Sandberg

Bac helor’s Programm e i n Mechanical Engineering
Bachelor’s Programme in Mechanical Engineering

Upps al a U niversity log oty pe
Design of a braiding machine

Andreas Rishaug & Joakim Sandberg
Abstract
In this project the objective is to understand how to design a braiding machine capable of
automated production of Omnifibre in a research environment. Automated production of
Omnifibre is the key issue for the researchers as they want to increase the weaveabilty of the
fibers and make it more suitable for use in active textiles. To achieve the necessary knowledge
when designing a braiding machine, an extensive literature study was performed which focused
on braids, braiding machines, and CNC manufacturing. An Interview with a researcher and with
a manufacturing expert was conducted. Simulations of different braiding machine configurations
were performed in TexMind braiding machine configurator. Solidworks was used to estimate the
size of the braiding machine. A large amount of the machine’s parts were manufactured on a
CNC mill and lathe to test manufacturability and to aid in designing optimal subsystems. The
result is a proposed design for a braiding machine in the form of a 3-D model and a partially
completed prototype used for testing and design evaluation. The conclusion is that Omnifibre is
much like other ultra-fine braided threads, and the research on its applicability has a big impact
on the braiding machine’s design, especially on flexibility in thread material and braiding
patterns.
Keywords: braid, braiding, braiding machine, Omnifibre, CNC, computer numerical control,
CAM, computer aided manufacturing, manufacturing, milling, turning.
Fac ulty of Sci enc e and Technol ogy, U ppsal a U niv ersity. Place of publication U pps al a. Supervisor: Özg un Kilic Asfar, Subj ect r eader: H ugo Ng uyen, Ex aminer: Lars D egerman
Faculty of Science and Technology

Uppsala University, Place of publication Uppsala
Supervisor: Özgun Kilic Asfar Subject reader: Hugo Nguyen

Examiner: Lars Degerman
Sammanfattning
Målet med detta projekt är att förstå hur en flätningsmaskin ska designas för automatiserad
produktion av omnifibre i forskningsmiljö. Automatiserad produktion av omnifiber är avgörande
för forskarna när vävbarheten ska förbättras och anpassas för användning i aktiva kläder. För att
uppnå den nödvändiga kunskapen för att designa en flätmaskin genomfördes en omfattande
litteraturstudie med fokus på flätor, flätningsmaskiner och CNC tillverkning. En intervju med en
forskare och med en tillverkningsexpert genomfördes. Simuleringar av olika konfigurationer av
flätningsmaskiner utfördes i TexMind braiding machine configurator. Solidworks användes för att
uppskatta storleken på flätningsmaskinen. En stor del av flätningsmaskinens delar tillverkades på
en CNC fräs och en CNC svarv för att testa tillverkningsbarheten och utifrån detta bidra till den
föreslagna designen. Detta resulterade i en föreslagen design av en flätningsmaskin i form av en
3D modell samt en delvis slutförd prototyp som användes för testning och designutvärdering.
Slutsatsen är att Omnifibre är mycket likt andra ultrafina flätade trådar och dess
forskningsapplikation har en stor påverkan på flätningsmaskinens design, speciellt med avseende
på materialvalmöjligheter och flätningsmönster.
Nyckelord: Fläta, flätning, flätningsmaskin, Omnifibre, CNC, numerisk datastyrning, CAM, dator
assisterad tillverkning, fräsning, svarvning.
ii
Preface
This bachelor’s thesis has been conducted at Uppsala University’s Ångström laboratory at the
department of Materials Science and Engineering, division of Microsystems Technology under
Professor Hugo Nguyen’s supervision. We would like to thank the whole division for the
opportunity to conduct our thesis and especially Hugo Nguyen, Klas Hjort and Özgun Kilic Asfar.
It has been an incredible learning experience working with Hugo and it was a perfect ending to
three years of study that gave us the opportunity to use all knowledge obtained during our
studies. And a special thanks to Professor Yordan Kyosev for access to the TexMind braiding
machine configuration, it was a big help in the design process. Finally, a thank you to Lars
Degerman for his additional feedback on this report.
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Dictionary & Abbreviations
Active textile A textile that changes and adapts its function from external or user input
(Textile blog, 2022)
Broaching A machining process where a tool cuts away material by being pushed.
BMC braiding machine configurator
CAM Computer-aided manufacturing
CNC Computer numerical control
FEA Fluidic elastomeric actuator
LMPA Low melting point alloy
Omnifibre A type of fluidic elastomeric actuator
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Table of contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Assignment description .................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Objective ........................................................................................................................... 2
1.4 Research Questions .......................................................................................................... 2
1.5 Deliminations ................................................................................................................... 2
2 Theory ...................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 OmniFibre ......................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Braids ................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2.1 Tubular braiding .......................................................................................................... 4
2.2.2 Biaxial and triaxial braids ............................................................................................. 5
2.3 Maypole style tubular braiding machine .......................................................................... 5
2.3.1 Horn gears ................................................................................................................... 7
2.3.2 Guide track................................................................................................................... 8
2.3.3 Bobbin carriers............................................................................................................. 9
2.3.4 Tensioning system ....................................................................................................... 9
2.4 Braiding machine configurations and braid structure .................................................... 12
2.4.1 TexMind Computer Controlled Braiding Machines Configurator ............................. 12
2.4.2 Carrier arrangement repeat ...................................................................................... 13
2.4.3 Floating length ........................................................................................................... 13
2.4.4 Braiding point ............................................................................................................ 13
2.4.5 Velocity ...................................................................................................................... 13
2.5 CNC enabled manufacturing ........................................................................................... 14
2.5.1 Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) ..................................................................... 14
2.5.2 Milling & Lathe Turning ............................................................................................. 15
2.5.3 Waterjet cutting ........................................................................................................ 15
3 Method .................................................................................................................................. 16
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3.1 Planned flow of study ..................................................................................................... 16
3.1.1 Methods of answering question 1-3 ......................................................................... 17
3.2 Data Collection method ................................................................................................. 17
3.2.1 Literature study ......................................................................................................... 17
3.2.2 Interviews .................................................................................................................. 18
3.2.3 Simulations of machine configurations ..................................................................... 18
3.2.4 Size estimations ......................................................................................................... 18
3.2.5 Brainstorming & Iterative design process ................................................................. 18
3.2.6 Manufacturing ........................................................................................................... 19
3.3 Data analysis ................................................................................................................... 19
3.4 Validity and reliability .................................................................................................... 20
3.5 Ethical stance .................................................................................................................. 20
4 Design Criteria ....................................................................................................................... 21
4.1 Product requirements ..................................................................................................... 21
4.1.1 Interview with product recipient............................................................................... 22
4.1.2 Customer demand ..................................................................................................... 23
4.1.3 Identified demand ..................................................................................................... 24
4.1.4 Interview with manufacturing specialist ................................................................... 25
4.1.5 Manufacturing limitations ......................................................................................... 26
4.1.6 Product Requirements............................................................................................... 27
4.2 Machine configurations .................................................................................................. 29
4.2.1 Possible configurations for 32 carrier machines ....................................................... 29
4.2.2 Machine configuration using 16 horn gears with 4 slots each.................................. 29
4.2.3 Machine configuration using 8 horn gears with 8 slots each. ................................... 31
4.3 Size limitations ................................................................................................................ 33
4.3.1 16 Horn gears with 4 slots and 68mm drive gears .................................................... 33
4.3.2 16 Horn gears with 4 slots and 80mm drive gears .................................................... 34
4.4 Final machine configuration ........................................................................................... 34
4.5 First printed model ......................................................................................................... 34
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5 Proposed design ................................................................................................................... 36
5.1 Base assembly ................................................................................................................. 36
5.1.1 Guide track plate ....................................................................................................... 36
5.1.2 Base plate .................................................................................................................. 38
5.1.3 Plate spacer ............................................................................................................... 38
5.1.4 Guide track plug......................................................................................................... 39
5.2 Gear assembly ................................................................................................................. 39
5.2.1 Horn gears ................................................................................................................. 40
5.2.2 Drive gears ................................................................................................................. 42
5.2.3 Shaft ........................................................................................................................... 43
5.2.4 Bearings ..................................................................................................................... 44
5.3 Carrier assembly ............................................................................................................. 45
5.3.1 Tensioning system ..................................................................................................... 46
5.3.2 Carrier foot and base ................................................................................................. 47
5.3.3 Tensioner arm............................................................................................................ 48
5.3.4 Pistons........................................................................................................................ 48
5.3.5 Spine .......................................................................................................................... 49
5.3.6 Spool .......................................................................................................................... 49
5.3.7 Spool clamp ............................................................................................................... 50
5.3.8 Guide wheels and eyelets .......................................................................................... 51
5.4 Frame .............................................................................................................................. 52
6 Manufacturing ....................................................................................................................... 53
6.1 Manufacturing fixtures ................................................................................................... 53
6.1.1 Hole Table .................................................................................................................. 53
6.1.2 Fixture carrier arms ................................................................................................... 54
6.1.3 Vise and vise jaws ...................................................................................................... 54
6.2 Manufacturing Tools ....................................................................................................... 55
6.2.1 Side mill for inner groove on guide track plate ......................................................... 56
6.2.2 Very small groove tools ............................................................................................. 56
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6.2.3 Threading tool with 60 degrees angle ....................................................................... 57
6.3 Guide track plate............................................................................................................. 57
6.4 Base plate ........................................................................................................................ 58
6.5 Plate spacers ................................................................................................................... 59
6.6 Horn Gears ...................................................................................................................... 59
6.7 Drive gears ...................................................................................................................... 61
6.8 Shaft ................................................................................................................................ 62
6.9 Carrier foot and base ...................................................................................................... 63
6.10 Carrier Arm, Spine, and spool clamp ......................................................................... 65
6.11 Pistons........................................................................................................................ 66
6.12 Spool .......................................................................................................................... 66
6.13 Frame ......................................................................................................................... 67
7 Testing and design evaluation ............................................................................................... 68
7.1 Initial guide track tests .................................................................................................... 68
7.2 Testing of gear timings, carrier transfer and carrier loading. ......................................... 68
7.3 Motor driven testing of base assembly and carrier movement. .................................... 69
7.4 Initial tests of carrier tension system ............................................................................. 70
7.5 Initial braid test. .............................................................................................................. 72
8 Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 73
8.1 Design criteria ................................................................................................................. 73
8.2 Proposed design.............................................................................................................. 73
8.3 Manufacturing limitations .............................................................................................. 74
9 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 75
9.1 Reflections....................................................................................................................... 75
9.2 Method discussion .......................................................................................................... 75
10 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 77
10.1 Future work ............................................................................................................... 77
11 References ............................................................................................................................. 79
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Table of tables
Table 1. Interview questions asked during the interviews............................................................ 22
Table 2. Summarized responses from the interviews. .................................................................. 23
Table 3. Identified customer needs and accompanying importance rating. ................................ 24
Table 4 Interview questions for manufacturing specialist ............................................................ 25
Table 5. Identified manufacturing limitations with degree of limitation. ..................................... 26
Table 6 Product requirements ....................................................................................................... 28
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Table of figures
Figure 1. An example of Ominfibre layers (Afsar, et al., 2021) ....................................................... 3
Figure 2. Braid angle (Kyosev, 2014) ............................................................................................... 4
Figure 3. Tubular braid (internationalwire, 2022) ........................................................................... 4
Figure 4. Biaxial and triaxial braids (Kyosev, 2014) ........................................................................ 5
Figure 5. Illustration of a basic maypole style braiding machine (Kyosev, 2014). .......................... 5
Figure 6 Herzog rope braiding machine SENG 1/32-160 (Herzog GmbH, n.d.) .............................. 6
Figure 7. Horn gear (Kyosev, 2014) ................................................................................................. 7
Figure 8. A carrier between to horn gears. (Kyosev, 2014) ............................................................. 7
Figure 9 Track of the carrier (Kyosev, 2014) .................................................................................... 8

Figure 10 . Closeup of guide track (Kyosev, 2014)........................................................................... 8
Figure 11 Sliding carrier with foot (Kyosev, 2014) .......................................................................... 9
Figure 12 Tensioning system (Kyosev, 2014) ................................................................................ 10
Figure 13 Bobbin brake (Kyosev, 2014) ......................................................................................... 11
Figure 14 Tensioning system (Ma, et al., 2012) ............................................................................. 12
Figure 15 CAM software add-on in Solidworks ............................................................................. 15
Figure 16 Waterjet cutting (aquawaterjetcutting, u.d.) ................................................................ 15
Figure 17 Planned flow of study .................................................................................................... 16
Figure 18 .16 Horn gears with 4 slots ............................................................................................ 29
Figure 19. A 1 over 1 braid with repeat 2 and floating length 2. .................................................. 30
Figure 20. Carrier arrangement for a 1 over 1, repeat 2, float 2................................................... 30
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Figure 29. Sketch showing size limitations for a 16-gear machine with 68mm gears. ................. 33
Figure 30. Sketch showing size limitation for a 16-gear machine using 80mm gears. ................. 34
Figure 31 First 3d-printed model ................................................................................................... 35
Figure 32 Base assembly overview ................................................................................................ 36
Figure 33 Guide track plate ........................................................................................................... 37
Figure 34 Base plate ...................................................................................................................... 38
Figure 35 Plate Spacer with threads .............................................................................................. 38

Figure 36. Plate spacer. ................................................................................................................. 38
Figure 37. Guide track plug............................................................................................................ 39
Figure 38. Gear assembly. ............................................................................................................. 39
Figure 39. Sectioned overview of the gear assembly .................................................................... 40
Figure 40 Horn Gear A (left) and B (right). .................................................................................... 41
Figure 41. Final horn gear design, utilizing an adjustable friction plate. ...................................... 41
Figure 42 Purchased Drive Gear M2 Z40 ....................................................................................... 42
Figure 43. Final shaft iteration before horn gear design change. ................................................. 43
Figure 44. Final shaft design. ......................................................................................................... 43
Figure 45. Tolerance calculation for angular contact bearing (SKF, 2022). .................................. 44
Figure 46. Tolerance calculation for ball bearing. (SKF, 2022) ...................................................... 44
Figure 47. Second carrier design after simplification and part reduction. ................................... 45
Figure 48 Early design concept of the carrier ................................................................................ 45
Figure 49 First complete carrier concept ...................................................................................... 45
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Figure 50 Final carrier design with removable foot. ..................................................................... 46
Figure 51 Current carrier foot and base assembly ........................................................................ 47
Figure 52 Current carrier foot design ............................................................................................ 47
Figure 53 Current carrier base design ........................................................................................... 47
Figure 54. Carrier arm.................................................................................................................... 48
Figure 55. Carrier piston. ............................................................................................................... 48
Figure 56. Carrier spine. ................................................................................................................ 49
Figure 57. Spool ............................................................................................................................. 50
Figure 58. Bottom of carrier spool showing the slots in which the brake piston engages. .......... 50
Figure 59. Latest Spool clap design that holds the spool in place and guides the thread. ........... 50
Figure 60. Initial design for spool clamp........................................................................................ 50

Figure 61 Path of the thread shown in blue. ................................................................................. 51
Figure 62 Guide wheels and eyelet ............................................................................................... 51
Figure 63 Current most complete assembly ................................................................................. 52
Figure 64 Current frame assembly ................................................................................................ 52
Figure 65 Hole table fixture in the CNC-mill. ................................................................................. 53
Figure 66. Carrier arm fixture mounted in a vise. ......................................................................... 54
Figure 67 Solidworks assembly of vise used during manufacturing ............................................. 54
Figure 68. Horn gear soft jaws. ...................................................................................................... 55
Figure 69. Shaft soft jaws. ............................................................................................................. 55
Figure 70. Modified side mill used when cutting grooves for internal retaining rings. ................ 56
Figure 71 Manufactured groove tool for retaining ring groove. ................................................... 56
Figure 72. Small V-shaped groove tool.......................................................................................... 56
Figure 73 Self-made threading tool ............................................................................................... 57
Figure 74. Finished Guide track plate mounted on the hole table. .............................................. 58
xii
Figure 75 Finished base plate ........................................................................................................ 59
Figure 76. Image of the used scrap piece for the base plate. ....................................................... 59
Figure 77. Finished early horn gears of variant A. ......................................................................... 60
Figure 78. Horn gear after first milling job. ................................................................................... 60
Figure 79. Completed horn gear after second milling job. ............................................................ 60
Figure 80. Partially completed horn gear held in soft jaws before second milling job. ................ 60
Figure 81. Completed horn gear with friction plate. ..................................................................... 61
Figure 82. Completed horn gear without friction plate. ............................................................... 61
Figure 83 Bought drive gear .......................................................................................................... 61
Figure 84. CAM Stock simulation showing how the purchased gears were pre-machined before
broaching. ...................................................................................................................................... 62
Figure 85. Fixturing of the shaft in the CNC mill, demonstrated here using an already milled shaft.
....................................................................................................................................................... 63
Figure 86. Completed shaft. .......................................................................................................... 63
Figure 87 First CNC lathed and milled carrier foot and base ........................................................ 64
Figure 88 The carrier foot and base placed on the guide track plate ........................................... 64
Figure 89. Completed carrier foot made from aluminum. ............................................................ 64
Figure 90. Several completed carrier bases. ................................................................................. 64
Figure 91. Finished parts, from top to bottom: Spine, Arm, and Spool clamp. ............................ 65
Figure 92. Completed carrier piston with two different size holes for testing. ............................ 66
Figure 93 Spool after the lathe .................................................................................................... 67
Figure 94 Spool after milled bottom ............................................................................................ 67
Figure 95 Finished Spool .............................................................................................................. 67
Figure 96 Test fit of base assembly in cut frame ........................................................................... 67
Figure 97. Early desing of combined carrier foot and base placed in the guide track for testing. 68
Figure 98. Partial assembly of base assembly for testing horn gear alignment. .......................... 69
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Figure 99. Testing horn gear alignment using the newer horn gear design. ................................ 69
Figure 100. Setup for initial motor driven testing. ........................................................................ 70
Figure 101. Still frame from video of initial testing of tensioning system. ................................... 71
Figure 102. Brake piston stopped between slots in the spool. ..................................................... 71
Figure 103. Produced "braid" from initial braid test. .................................................................... 72
xiv
1 Introduction
This chapter describes the background of the project, problem description, objective, and the
questions that the project aims to answer. The chapter begins with a description of a fiber, what
they are and where they exist. After which, the artificial fiber in the form of fluidic elastomeric
actuators (FEA) are presented as well as their potential applications. One such FEA is OmniFibre,
which is being developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in collaboration with
Royal institute of Technology (KTH) and Uppsala University (UU). The researchers of OmniFibre
have set some goals, which constitute a clear framework for this assignment.
1.1 Background
Soft robots are a field in robotics which consists of robots that utilize soft body muscle-like
actuators to enable motion (Rus & Tolley, 2015). These actuators are built using different types
of fibers, and the fluidic elastomeric actuator (FEA) is one such fiber. An FEA consists of an outer
shell and a pressurized inner tube. (Marchese, et al., 2015)
Another use for FEAs is in active textiles. These FEAs can expand and contract which can be used
to construct active textiles that respond to external stimuli. Active textiles using FEAs have shown
to have potential when it comes to development of multifunctional clothing. This creates many
opportunities for innovation such as clothing with automatic venting, haptic feedback for remote
communication, built in massage, compression socks with adjustable compression and interactive
corset inlays. FEAs are especially interesting because of their compliance with the human body.
Uppsala University is collaborating with KTH Royal Institute of Technology and MIT Massachusetts
Institute of Technology on a research project called OmniFibre aimed at developing actuating
fibers for use in active textiles. OmniFibres are intended to have a high weavability, accessibility
and actuation versatility. Because the focus is on the needs and constraints of the interaction
designers. (Afsar, et al., 2021) The next stage for Omnifibre is to automate the production with
help from Uppsala University.
1.2 Assignment description

The researchers behind the development of the OmniFibre aim to reduce the total diameter of
the fiber to be as small as a regular strand used in clothing manufacturing, as well as to produce
fibers of increased lengths. The goal is to increase the weaveabilty of OmniFibre, in order to ease
the manufacturing of active textiles. To achieve this process, the fiber production must be
automated using machinery and so, a braiding machine capable of producing Omnifiber has to be
designed. Omnifibre’s specific requirements poses a few design challenges for this machine. First,
the Omnifibre braid must be able to expand and contract significantly which requires unusually
1
low braiding angles of 10-15 degrees. Secondly, the threads used for braiding OmniFibre are very
thin which makes them more difficult to handle due to the need for low forces and small
components. Thirdly, Omnifibre requires a relatively large number of threads to be braided
simultaneously which drastically affects the size of the machine and may require using relatively
small components. Finally, the braiding machine needs to be manufacturable using available
manufacturing methods.
1.3 Objective
The objective of this work is to design, develop and propose a manufacturable design of a braiding
machine capable of braiding polymer microfilament around elastomeric microtubing to produce
fluid elastomeric actuators.
1.4 Research Questions

RQ 1. What are the specific requirements of a braiding machine for the application of OmniFibre
production?
RQ 2. How should the braiding machine be designed to fulfill the specific requirements?
RQ 3. What manufacturing considerations must be made regarding available manufacturing
methods?
1.5 Deliminations
The braiding machine is not supposed to be able to mass produce OmniFibre on a commercial
scale. It’s only intended to be used in automated production on a small scale for research
purposes. Due time limitations, a completed and fully function prototype will not be achieved in
the scope of this project, instead the prototype will be manufactured to a point that the basic
functionality of core components can be validated.
2
2 Theory
For this project, a variety of information was gathered about relevant subjects such as OmniFibre,
braids, braid patterns, construction, and mechanical function of braiding machines. The
information gathered about relevant subjects are presented in this theory section.
2.1 OmniFibre
OmniFibre is a so-called fluidic elastomeric actuator
(FEA). It’s a braided product made to primarily be used
in active textiles. It consists of an elastomeric
microtubing with a piezoresistive soft and stretchable
sensor. Inside the tubing is a liquid, a gas, or a low
melting point alloy (LMPA). The outer shell consists of
a tubular braid and can contain a mechanical
constraint that will allow for the actuator to perform
bending motions, see Figure 1. (Afsar, et al., 2021)
Figure 1. An example of Ominfibre

layers (Afsar, et al., 2021)
3
2.2 Braids
To be called a braid the braid needs to consist of at least 3 threads or more
and the threads need to be diagonal to the product axis. (Wulfhorst, et al.,
2006). The angle the braid makes with the product axis is called the braiding
angle, as seen in Figure 2. This angle can be between 1 and 89 degrees, but
the most common angles are 30-80 degrees Which braid angle to use is
determined for each braided product based on the needs of each products
application. (Kyosev, 2014)
Figure 2. Braid angle

(Kyosev, 2014)
2.2.1 Tubular braiding

Tubular braids are, as the name implies, threads that
are braided together to form a tube Figure 3). This is
harder to make by hand without the use of a special
table to help with tensioning and thread
management. An industrial automated braiding
machine is of course the best option for this because
of its high accuracy and significantly higher
production speeds. When making tubular braids an
even number of threads must be used. (Kyosev,
Figure 3. Tubular braid (internationalwire, 2022)
2014) Tubular braids are used in a lot of applications
like electrical cables and hydraulic hoses in both the cable or the hose itself or as a protective
sleeve around the hose or cable. (Wikipedia, 2022)
4
2.2.2 Biaxial and triaxial braids
Triaxial braids are biaxial braids with an inlay thread. The inlay thread
is in the direction of the product axis. Inlay threads are mostly used
in tubular braids because of the requirement of a hollow core. In
Figure 4, a biaxial and triaxial braid is shown at the top and bottom
respectively. (Kyosev, 2014)
Figure 4. Biaxial and triaxial

braids (Kyosev, 2014)
2.3 Maypole style tubular braiding machine

The basic principle of a braiding machine is to move
bobbins around so that the yarns released from the
bobbins pass over and under each other to form a
braid. This movement can be achieved in different
ways but one of the most common ways is that of the
maypole style braiding machine. A maypole style
braiding machine utilizes connected gears to achieve
the desired movement of the bobbins, see Figure 5.
Each gear is connected to a horn gear which moves
carriers that hold the bobbins. The carriers are guided
in the machine by a track which forces the carriers to
follow the outline of the horn gear and to switch horn
gears at intersecting points between the horn gears
Figure 5. Illustration of a basic maypole style
braiding machine (Kyosev, 2014). where the track overlap. The illustration in Figure 5 is
the most basic form of a maypole style braiding
machine which only has two sets of gears and a single figure 8 shaped guide track. As the carries
holding the bobbins swich between horn gears the yarns leaving the bobbins are crossed under
and over each other which forms the braid at the braiding point, see Figure 5. The formed braid
is then fed away from the machine by a take-off mechanism which is synchronised with the speed
of the motor driving the gears. For a tubular braiding machine such as the one shown in Figure 6,
there are four or more interconnected sets of gears placed in a circle. In this case there is two
separate guide tracks instead of one, but they intersect in the same way as before. Each track can
5
be thought of as a sine curve which has been wrapped around in a circle to form a continuous
curve or closed loop. Since there are two guide tracks, the carriers do not change direction around
the circle and instead two groups of carriers evenly distributed around the machine move in
opposite directions around the machine trough their respective guide tracks. As before, the
carriers switch between horn gears where the guide tracks intersect which crosses the threads
from the two groups of carriers and a braid is formed at the braid point in the centre of the
machine. The braid is then fed away by the take-off system. When making tubular braids it is
common to braid around a core such as a plastic tube or, in the case of the machine in Figure 6,
a rope core. The core is pulled through the centre of the machine by the take-off system and is
braided over at the braiding point. (Kyosev, 2014)
Figure 6 Herzog rope braiding machine SENG

1/32-160 (Herzog GmbH, n.d.)
6
2.3.1 Horn gears
The purpose of the horn gear is to move the bobbin carriers around the machine though a near-
sinusoidal circuit. These horn gears consist of a circular thick plate with several evenly spaced
slots in which the bobbin carrier slots into (See Figure 7). The horn gear is connected through a
shaft to a normal drive gear (See Figure 8) which meshes with identical drive gears connected to
the other horn gears. This causes all the horn gears to rotate at the same speed and in opposing
direction to neighboring gears so that the slots line up at even intervals which allows for a smooth
transfer of the carriers between horn gears. Because all horn gears are interconnected through a
gear system, the entire assembly can be powered from a single point since then drive unit can be
mounted directly on one of the drive gears which greatly simplifies the powering of the machine.
(Kyosev, 2014)
Figure 7. Horn gear (Kyosev, 2014) Figure 8. A carrier between to horn gears. (Kyosev, 2014)
7
2.3.2 Guide track
The guide track's purpose is to guide the carriers through the movement of the machine. The
track consists of two near sinusoidal intersecting paths in which the bobbin carriers ride (See
Figure 9). The track is shaped so that the carriers are guided between the horn gears at
intersecting points. At the intersecting point the carrier switches horn gear and that creates the
braid (See Figure 10). (Kyosev, 2014)
Figure 9 Track of the carrier (Kyosev, 2014)
Figure 10 . Closeup of guide track (Kyosev, 2014)
8
2.3.3 Bobbin carriers
The bobbin carriers hold the bobbins and the accompanying tension system. The
carrier may vary in how the bobbins are held but are generally held vertically on
a fixed shaft on which the bobbins rotate. The carriers have a radially slotted
driving foot (Figure 11) which connects with the slots in the horn gears, allowing
for the horn gears to move the carriers (See Figure 12). The carriers also have
guiding feet which guide the carrier through the guide track by contacting the
walls of the track. (Kyosev, 2014)
Figure 11 Sliding
carrier with foot
(Kyosev, 2014)
2.3.4 Tensioning system

The tensioning system is attached to the bobbing carriers and is responsible for maintaining an
even tension on the unwinding thread as well as compensating for the varying distance between
the carriers and the braiding point at the center of the machine. The tensioning system may be
designed differently between different machines and thread materials but generally follow a
similar design. The bobbin is attached to a stepped braking system which intermittently releases
to reduce tension in the thread. The thread is guided off the bobbin and through a set of spring
loaded or weighted pulleys attached to either a lever-arm or a linear motion slider mechanism.
The system is designed to build tension in the thread until a certain point at which a mechanism
triggers the release of the bobbin brake. In turn, the brake release allows the thread to be
unwound and the tension is reduced which applies the bobbin brake again. (Kyosev, 2014) An
example of a tensioning system utilizing a spring tensioned sliding mechanism is shown in Figure
12.
9
Figure 12 Tensioning system (Kyosev, 2014)
Bobbin brake
The bobbin brake (See Figure 13) consists of a ratchet mechanism which is either directly fitted
to the bobbin or with an adapter. The mechanism prevents the rotational movement of the
bobbin by having its teeth engage a pawl when thread tension is low. This allows the thread
tension to build since the bobbin does not release any thread, yet the braiding process and take
off mechanism is still trying to pull more thread. Once the tension is sufficiently high, the pawl
disengages the teeth and allows the bobbing to turn and release more thread. This quickly lowers
the thread tension which causes the pawl to engage the next tooth in the ratchet mechanism.
(Kyosev, 2014)
10
Figure 13 Bobbin brake (Kyosev, 2014)
Tensioning and length compensation
As mentioned, there are several designs of tension and length compensation systems. Generally,
there are two or more pulleys or eyelets through which the thread rides. These pulleys or eyelets
may be tensioned using either springs or weights which provide a force that tensions the thread.
Figure 14 shows a simplified illustration of one type of tensioning system that utilizes springs for
tensioning. In this example the first pulley is fixed and guides the thread off the bobbin and down
toward the next pulley tensioned by spring 1. The thread is then pulled off the second pulley after
which it is braided to a yarn that is then pulled out using a motorized take off system. Since the
bobbin is locked by the braking system no additional thread is fed into the system which causes
the length to decrease and the tension in the thread increases as the spring attached to pulley 2
is compressed. Once the pulley compresses its spring sufficiently it contacts the pawl lift which
releases the bobbin brake and allows more thread to be released, thus reducing the tension in
the thread. (Ma, et al., 2012)
11
Figure 14 Tensioning system (Ma, et al., 2012)
2.4 Braiding machine configurations and braid structure

Maypole braiding machines can be made in many different configurations, but the chosen
configuration is determined by the types of braid the machine is intended to produce. The
machine’s configuration of number of horn gears and slots per horn gear will directly determine
which types of braids the machine can produce. It is therefore important to understand the
different braid structure parameters and their relation to the machine configuration.
2.4.1 TexMind Computer Controlled Braiding Machines Configurator

TexMind braiding machine configurator (BMC) is a software that makes it possible to virtually
create different braiding machines with different amounts of horn gears and horn gear slots. The
software allows you to place and arrange carriers in the machine and simulate the movement and
interaction between the carriers and horn gears. It is then possible to simulate the braided
structure that a specific configuration will produce. A simplified 3D model of the braid is created
12
and shows how the threads will interact. It is not a realistic 3D image, but it is still helpful in
understanding how the configuration of the machine affects the braided structure. (TeXmind,
2022)
2.4.2 Carrier arrangement repeat

The repeat length is the smallest repeatable pattern of carriers in one track of the machine. Simply
put, when viewing the same position of one of the machine tracks, how many filled and empty
horn gear slots pass by until the pattern repeats. For example, a pattern of one filled (1F) and one
empty (1E) and once again one filled and one empty would equal a pattern length of 2, (1F+1E =
2). Other examples are 1F+3E=4 or 2F+2E= 4. The repeat length determines the size of the braid
pattern. A repeat of 2 with the configuration 1F+1E results in a braid with the pattern 1 over 1
under. The number of horn gear slots determines the maximum repeat length for a given machine
where the maximum repeat is equal to the number of horn gear slots in each horn gear. (TeXmind,
2022) The number of horn gear slots is crucial to what patterns are possible and sets the upper
limit for threads to be braided together (carrier arrangement repeat). For example, a horn gear
with 4 slots would give the option to braid 2 over 2, 3 over 1 and 1 over 1 braid patterns. (TeXmind,
2022)
2.4.3 Floating length

Floating length is the result of the amount of horn gear slots divided by the repeat pattern. If you
see the thread as a sine wave, it will go up and down over and under other threads either alone
or in a group with other threads. Floating length affects the angle of that wave. So, for stiffer
materials a larger floating length is desirable because of the lower angle. (Kyosev, 2014)
2.4.4 Braiding point

The braiding point is the point at which all threads in the machine meet to form a braid. The
natural braiding point is the point at which the threads meet if not guided in any way. This point
changes position with the braiding angle, a low angle results in the natural braiding point
occurring at a higher position relative to the machine carriers. If instead a high braiding angle is
used the natural braiding point will occur much lower and closer to the carriers. When braiding
using very low braid angles it is often necessary to have a guide which guides the threads together
at a lower position than the natural braiding point. Otherwise, the natural braiding point would
occur at an inconveniently high position. By guiding the threads together at a lower position, a
new braiding point occurs at the guide. (Kyosev, 2014)
2.4.5 Velocity
In a braiding machine there are two main velocities. The first is the angular velocity of the horn
gears. This affects how fast the carriers are moving and in turn how fast the braid is created. The
13
second is called the take-off velocity and it is the velocity of the finished product exiting the
machine. These two velocities are kept constant during the braiding process but must be fine-
tuned in the beginning of the process. That is why it is important to be able to control these
velocities carefully. The relationship between the angular velocity of the horn gears and the take-
off velocity will determine the braid angle of the produced braid according to Equation 1, where
α is the braid angle, ωHorngears is the angular velocity of the horn gears and VT is the take-off
velocity. Equation 1 also contains the diameter D of the horn gears and the number of horn gears
NHorngears, but since these are constant for a given machine the only parameters that can be
adjusted are the two velocities. (Kyosev, 2014)
Equation 1. Equation defining braiding angle α for a

given machine configuration and velocities. (Kyosev,
2014)
2.5 CNC enabled manufacturing

CNC stands for computer numerical control and makes it possible to control a tool with the help
of computer code, mainly G-code. This code can then be executed in combination with
compatible hardware to automate manufacturing. A CNC machine for manufacturing can be any
machine that controls a tool this way. Some common CNC machines are 3D-printers, CNC mills,
CNC lathes, Waterjet cutter and laser cutters. (Wikipedia, 2022)
2.5.1 Computer aided manufacturing (CAM)

In the early days of CNC machines, the code to program the machines were written manually.
This made the programming very time-consuming and required deep knowledge of the g-code
programming language. A solution to this problem is the invention of CAM software (see Figure
15), which can be its own software or a plugin to a CAD software. For a 3D-printer the CAM
software is called a slicer because it slices the CAD-model in to layers the printer can print. In CAM
software the user can add the tools available for a machine and then add all necessary operations
and values. Then the software can simulate the path of the tool of every operation and create a
complete job. This makes it a lot easier to program a CNC machine. For the CAM software to work
a compatible post processor is needed. The post processor is a program which converts the CAM
data to G-code for a CNC machine. The post processor is specific for a machine manufacturer or
even a single machine since different manufacturers or machines may use different G-code
variations or have different feature sets which use different G-code commands. If there is an
available post processer for the machine, only the CAM software needs to be used and manual
coding is rarely necessary. (Wikipedia, 2022)
14
Figure 15 CAM software add-on in Solidworks
2.5.2 Milling & Lathe Turning

When a mill is controlled with a CNC it makes it possible to move the milling tool in new paths not
possible by hand on a manual mill. Vertical CNC mills with only xyz-axes are even able to create
simple 3-dimensional curves. After a CAM-job is programed and tested, that program can be run
with minimal supervision and will create part after part with a high repeatability. When a 4th and
even a 5th axis is added to the machine, complex parts can be created. Organic forms like a human
head can easily be created by such a mill (Rapid Direct, 2022)
2.5.3 Waterjet cutting

A waterjet cutting machine Figure 16 uses ultra-high-
pressured water combined with an abrasive to cut
almost any material. When a waterjet cutter is
combined with a CNC controller that has an x and y axis,
almost any 2D-shape can be cut out of the material.
(Olsen Software LLC, 2022)
Figure 16 Waterjet cutting (aquawaterjetcutting,

u.d.)
15
3 Method
In this chapter the planned flow of the study will be discussed, different questions will be answered
with the help of different methods, explanations of the methods and how the data is analyzed, as
well as validity and reliability, will be presented.
3.1 Planned flow of study

The project began with a period of data gathering where product specifications and other relevant
data was collected, after which there was an iterative design process focused on prototyping,
testing, and several design changes. This design process began with a very basic prototype and
continued with an iterative design of a smaller scale prototype machine with 16 carriers where
designs were manufactured to validate manufacturability and functionality, from which changes
were made accordingly. The process ultimately resulted in a final design proposal for a functional
and manufacturable prototype machine that can be the basis for a future full scale 32 carrier
machine. This flow of study is illustrated in Figure 17.
Figure 17 Planned flow of study
16
3.1.1 Methods of answering question 1-3
To identify the specific requirements for the braiding machine an interview was utilized to gather
data about the customers’ demands. Based on the customers’ demands and limitations with
available manufacturing methods a product specification was established and was utilized during
the design process.
A literature study of existing design solutions was conducted to aid in creating appropriate design
solutions that address the specific design requirements. Most of this data was collected through
the initial major literature study, however additional less comprehensive studies were necessary
as additional design challenges arise throughout the design process. In addition to the literature
study, empirical data about machine configurations and size limitation was gathered using
different relevant software programs.
To make relevant manufacturing considerations during the design process, studies of relevant
literature and online resources was conducted as well as an interview and consultation with the
project manufacturing expert and workshop supervisor. At later stages of the project, many
designed parts were test-manufactured to further evaluate manufacturability and make
additional design alterations accordingly.
3.2 Data Collection method

Here the method for collecting data will be presented and how the different methods will be
used.
3.2.1 Literature study

An extensive literature study was performed to get information about braiding machines and
OmniFibre. We used Uppsala University library’s search function, Google, Google Scholar,
Youtube, Science Direct, Wikipedia and the European Patent office.
Throughout much of the project, CNC-machines were used. This required knowledge about the
operation of these machines. Therefore, a secondary literature study on CNC operation and
manufacturing was performed. The study focused on the specific CNC-machines that are to be
17
used, which in this case is from the manufacturer HAAS. There is also a waterjet cutter from Wazer
that was included in the second literature study.
3.2.2 Interviews
The recipient of the final braiding machine set the product requirements and a technical expert
on manufacturing contributed with more specific requirements related to manufacturability of
the braiding machine with regards to available manufacturing methods.
A set of interview questions for the recipient of the machine and the technical expert was created
and personalized to their specific role. The questions were distributed through email and included
both qualitative and quantitative questions. The questions were given beforehand to the
interviewees, so they had time to think about the answer. After the respondents have had time
to reflect on the interview questions, semi structured interviews was conducted with both the
recipient and the technical expert to collect their answers and allowed for more detailed
information gathering through follow up questions.
3.2.3 Simulations of machine configurations

Using the TexMind braiding machine configurator software, simulations were made to gather
information about potential machine configurations and resulting braid structures. This
information was useful for determining the most ideal machine configuration for the braiding
machine with consideration to product requirements.
3.2.4 Size estimations

Size estimations were made to compare important measurements between machines using
different size gears. This was done by creating patterned sketches using Solidworks and adding
relations so that different important measurements are automatically adjusted when changing
other measurements.
3.2.5 Brainstorming & Iterative design process

The term Brainstorming was invented by Alex Faickney Osborn in 1942 and consists of 4 rules and
can be simply described as a conference where all participants share ideas spontaneously without
judgement. Participants are motivated to think outside the box and share unconventional ideas
(Imindq, 2022)
18
Brainstorming sessions were planned at the start of the project with the purpose of creating a
first prototype. Brainstorming was chosen because it stimulates creative thinking. As the project
progressed, an iterative process was followed, going back and forth between brainstorming, and
designing prototype parts. Each prototype was tested or otherwise evaluated to some extent to
gather information and ideas about possible design improvements and causes of issues. During
manufacturing of these prototype parts, the manufacturability of the current design was
evaluated, and necessary design changes were made accordingly.
3.2.6 Manufacturing
Once a design proposal was reached, parts were manufactured to validate the manufacturability
of the design proposal and gather additional information about the manufacturability of the
design.
3.3 Data analysis

The first question of this study was answered primarily by the interviews conducted with the
product recipient. The resulting interview data was compiled in a data sheet for ease of data
management. The primary focus was on identifying customer demands from the answers, then
creating product requirements that reflect the customer demands. The customer demands were
then prioritized and formed the basis for the design of the braiding machine.
The literature study was the main source for answering the study's second question. All the
relevant information gathered from the study about the design of braiding machines was
categorized and presented in the theory section. The data gathered were analyzed by categorizing
the data according to different design challenges. For example, all data related to the braking
system that limits the bobbin rotation was grouped together. Machine configuration simulations
were also conducted using the TexMind braiding machine configurator. Different potential
machine configurations were simulated with different carrier arrangements to determine how
the braided structure is affected. This data was then used for determining which machine
configuration to use in the design process. Size estimations using Solidworks sketches also
provided information of how important measurements were affected by the size of purchased
components. This in turn helped determine which size components should be purchased to
minimize total machine size whilst maintaining manufacturability and accordance with product
requirements.
A source of data for answering the study’s third question was empirical data gathered through
interviews and consultations with the project's manufacturing expert. Interview data from the
manufacturing expert were summarized in a data sheet, from which manufacturing limitations
19
were then defined. These limitations were then categorized based on how limiting each limitation
was, i.e., whether the limitation was unchangeable or merely impractical. One unchangeable
limitation could be the CNC-machine’s workable volume, whilst an impractical limitation could be
a part that is difficult to manufacture with available resources but is still possible to manufacture.
However, the main source of data was the real-world manufacturing of the proposed design. By
manufacturing each part, additional manufacturing limitations could be determined which was
previously unthought of, whilst at the same time validating the manufacturability of the proposed
design or making necessary design alterations.
3.4 Validity and reliability

To achieve a high validity two people were responsible for the data analysis, according to the
triangle method. Any interview data or interpretations from the interviews were linked back to
the respondents so they can confirm that their thoughts and comments had been correctly
interpreted.
Although a truly high reliability may not be possible due to the case-centric nature of this study,
a detailed documentation of empirical data and methods for obtaining these was performed. In
addition, comprehensive documentation of the design process and experiments was conducted.
This documentative work aims to increase the reliability of this study.
3.5 Ethical stance

To uphold Vetenskapsrådets Good Research Practice the interview questions were focused on
practical useful information, at the same time personal information was kept to a minimum. All
interview data (notes, recorded zoom sessions and audio recordings) was stored in our Google
drive project folder with no public access. Access to the folders can only be authorized by the
authors of this report and will only be given out with the consent of the interviewed parties. The
interview data will only be stored until the project is completed and is only used for the braiding
machine project and nothing else.
20
4 Design Criteria
To form a framework for the design process, data was collected through interviews and from the
use of the software TexMind braiding machine configurator whilst Solidworks was used for
estimating size limitations.
4.1 Product requirements

To create the product requirements to be used during the design process, two interviews were
conducted. The first of which was with the product recipient that affected the product
requirements the most and a second interview was with the manufacturing specialist.
21
4.1.1 Interview with product recipient
The following questions shown in Table 1 were emailed to the interviewee beforehand and then,
at a later date, a recorded zoom interview was conducted. During the interview, notes were
taken, and after the interview these notes were supplemented by reviewing the recording.
Table 1. Interview questions asked during the interviews.
Interview question
1 What is the desired outer diameter of the tubular sleeve?
2 What are the desired braiding angles?
3 What is the desired diameter of braided strands?
4 What are the desired strand materials? Elastic material?
5 What is the desired number of threads per braided sleeve (braid count)?
What is the reasoning behind these braid counts and how important are the exact count? (Different braid
6 counts may be incompatible with each other depending on the braiding machine configuration)
7 What is the desired length of a continuously braided sleeve.
8 What type of tubular braid should the machine braid? e.g., one over one under...
9 Is a triaxial (inlay thread) braid desirable?
10 What is the desired production rate of braided sleeves? e.g., length per unit of time
11 How important is the accuracy of the braiding angle?
12 What are the material properties of the threads of materials and internal tubing?
13 What are the desired maximum dimensions of the final machine?
14 What is the desired maximum weight of the final machine?
15 Are there any materials that you do not want the machine to be made from?
16 Is the final machine's noise level of importance?
17 What is the desired lifetime of the machine?
18 Are there any other requirements for the machine that you can think of?
22
4.1.2 Customer demand
Data from the interview were analyzed and summarized to get a better overview and help with
prioritizing. The summary of the answers from the interview is shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Summarized responses from the interviews.
Summarized Response
1 Preferably less than 0.7 mm. If possible, as low as 0.3 mm.
2 Less than 15 deg, if possible, even as low as 10 deg.
3 100 micron is a good standard, but there is no harm in going lower.
Nylon, PET, Stainless steel monofilament, copper, LCP (liquid crystal polymer), silk. Elastic filaments would
4
also be interesting.
5 32 if it will provide the most flexible machine configurations
6 24 gives better contraction ration then 32. But 32 gives a more robust braid.
Our current extruder is currently only able to extrude tubes of 25m, but otherwise we would like as long as
7
possible.
8 I need to do some more research to figure out the optimal count.
9
Yes, it would be great. But it should be of less consideration compared to the rest.
10
I am not so concerned about the speed. I don't have a preference for things being speedy.
11 I think the tolerance can be 1-2 degrees.
12 I will give you a datasheet
13 No hard limits at this point
14 No hard limit
15 No
16 No
17 5 years with good maintenance
Control interface should inform the user of required filament lengths. A temperature sensor would be great.
18
An enclosure would also be nice.
23
4.1.3 Identified demand
The answers were then discussed, and a range of customer needs were identified as shown in
Table 3, these needs were also ranked based on their importance to the project. The importance
was mostly based on the interview but also on the authors own opinions on which demands
where more important for the overall success of the project.
Table 3. Identified customer needs and accompanying importance rating.
From Importance (1-5

question 5=most important)
Identified customer need(s)
1 The machine is able to produce braids smaller than 0.7 mm. 5
2 The machine is able to produce braids with angles less than 15 deg. 4
The machine is able to braid using threads as small as or smaller than 100 4
3 micron.
4 The machine needs to be able to handle a lot of different materials. 3
5 The machine needs to handle different configurations. 3
7 The machine is able to produce braids longer than 25m 5
9 The machine can produce triaxial braids. 3
10 Production speed is irrelevant 1
11 Tolerance needs to be 1-2 degrees. 5
13 Needs to be able to fit through a doorway 3
14 Two normal persons needs to be able to lift it. 4
17 Machine needs to be durable and simple to maintain. 3
Data acquired during the design of the machine should be kept to be used in 1
the control system for advanced features. Temperature monitoring is
18 possible. The machine is enclosed.
24
4.1.4 Interview with manufacturing specialist
The following questions shown in Table 4 were emailed to the interviewee beforehand and then,
at a later date, an audio recorded face to face interview was conducted. During the interview
notes were taken and after the interview these notes were supplemented by reviewing the audio
recording.
Table 4 Interview questions for manufacturing specialist
Interview question
1 What tooling for the machines is available?
2 What material can we not use?
3 How will the material be secured in the workshop machines?
4 What tooling for the machines is available?
5 What maximum material dimensions do you think can be used?
6 Is there a budget?
7 What component do you prefer we buy? (Gears, screws, bearings etc.)
25
4.1.5 Manufacturing limitations
The interview data was analyzed and summarized in Table 5. Here, degree of limitation was used
instead of importance and each degree of limitation is commented on to clarify the reasoning for
each value. One example is number 8, the chuck diameter limitation. What the lathe can hold in
its chuck is considered an absolute limit and can only be changed with the use of another lathe
or upgrading the available lathe, therefore the limitation received a 5.
Table 5. Identified manufacturing limitations with degree of limitation.
Degree of
limitation
(5= most
Number Identified manufacturing limitations limiting) Comment
The materials used for manufacturing is
preferred to be aluminum alloys or
1 other soft metals or plastics. 2 Other materials may relatively easily be used.
The mill and lathe are not suitable for
machining hard materials such as Very hard materials should not be cut on the mill or
2 ceramics. 4 lathe.
Cutting of harder materials may be
possible with better tooling or with Hard materials may be cut on the water jet cutter,
3 water jet cutter. 4 but this is quite limited in what parts can be made.
Any parts manufactured on the lathe
should be compatible with a 3-tooth An adapter would have to be made if parts are not
4 chuck. 4 compatible.
Parts manufactured on the mill needs
to be compatible with fixturing using a An adapter would have to be made if parts are not
5 vise or screws. 4 compatible.
It is reasonable to use existing tooling as much as
possible to save time. However new tooling is
Parts should, when reasonable, be purchased when necessary and is therefore not very
6 manufactured using existing tooling. 2 limiting.
The mill cannot cut parts larger then Fixed limit this cannot be exceeded, otherwise the
7 X400 Y300 Z250. 5 part must be commissioned which is expensive.
The lathe chuck cannot hold a material Fixed limit this cannot be exceeded, otherwise the
8 larger than 200 mm in diameter. 5 part must be commissioned which is expensive.
The lathe cannot cut materials larger
than 400 mm in diameter and 760 mm Fixed limit this cannot be exceeded, otherwise the
9 in length. 5 part must be commissioned which is expensive.
Material cost may not exceed 30000 This cost should not be exceeded if possible but is
10 SEK 3 not a hard limit.
Parts such as gears, screws, bearings, These parts are either impossible for us to
and shafts should be bought rather manufacture or are simply much easier and faster to
11 than manufactured. 4 buy.
26
4.1.6 Product Requirements
The customer demands were then combined with the manufacturing limitations and created the
product requirements shown in Table 6 which were prioritized according to their perceived
importance. This prioritization was done by the authors of this report and then the product
requirements were approved by the product recipient and the manufacturing specialist.
27
Table 6 Product requirements
Related (5 = Most
customer important)
demand Product requirement Importance Unit Desired result
The produced braids need to be smaller than
1 1 0.7mm in diameter 5 mm <0.7mm
The produced braids need to have a braiding
2 2 angle of less than 15 deg 4 degrees 15-10deg
The machine needs to handle monofilament <0.1mm
3 3 threads smaller than 0.1mm in diameter 4 mm max 0.1mm
The machine is able to fulfill all other product The machine is able to braid
requirement with different material such as: using the specified materials
Nylon, PET, Stainless Steel monofilament, whilst maintaining other
4 4 & 10 copper, LCP and Silk. 3 Yes/No product requirements
The machine is able to braid
using the specified materials.
But not necessarily
The machine is able to braid using elastic maintaining all other
5 5 filaments. 2 Subj. requirements.
the specified pattern whilst
The machine needs to produce a ONE OVER maintaining other
6 6 ONE braid with 32 threads 5 Yes/No requirements.
the specified pattern whilst
The machine needs to produce a TWO OVER maintaining other
7 6 TWO braid with 32 threads 4 Yes/No requirements.
using 24 threads in a 32-carrier
machine but with some
The machine needs to produce a braid with 24 change to the final braid
10 6 threads in a 32-carrier machine 3 Yes/No structure.
The machine is able to produce braids longer
11 7 than 25 m in length 5 m >25m
The machine can produce
The machine needs to be able to produce triaxial braids using an inlay
12 8 triaxial braids 2 Yes/No thread.
The braiding angle tolerance need to be
13 9 between +-2 degrees 5 degrees +-2 degrees
The maximum size of the machine is 810 x 810 The machine is smaller than
14 10 x 2040 mm 3 Yes/No specified dimensions
28
4.2 Machine configurations
Based on the interview with the product recipient they would like the final braiding machine to
be able to braid 32 threads. It was also expressed that they would like to braid patterns larger
than 1 over 1 which will affect the machine configuration. Because the machine configuration
greatly affects the possible braid patterns and braid structures, it is crucial that different machine
configurations are investigated. Additionally, different configurations may be incompatible with
existing manufacturing limitations and other engineering aspects also need to be considered. To
investigate this the TexMind braiding machine configurator will be used to test configurations and
review produced braids.
4.2.1 Possible configurations for 32 carrier machines

For tubular braiding machines the maximum number of carriers is equal to half of the total
number of horn gear slots. So, for a machine with a capacity of 32 carriers the total number of
horn gear slots must be 64. This total is dependent on the number of horn gears and the number
of slots in each horn gear, by multiplying these values the total number is received. Given this,
the possible machine configurations are: 32 gears with 2 slots each, 16 gears with 4 slots each, 8
gears with 8 slots each and 4 gears with 16 slots each. Out of these options, only the 16 gear and
8 gear configurations are viable, as the others would be either too large, or too restrictive in which
braids can be produced.
4.2.2 Machine configuration using 16 horn gears with 4 slots each

This machine is configured as shown in Figure 18. This
configuration can produce 3 different braids where 2 of them are
symmetrical which are the more likely structures to be used
when braiding OmniFibre since a uniform braid structure is likely
more appropriate for the application.
Figure 18 .16 Horn gears with 4 slots
29
By arranging the carriers as shown in
Figure 20, a braid of 1 over 1 with repeat
2 and floating length 2 will be produced
as shown in Figure 19.
Figure 20. Carrier arrangement for a 1 Figure 19. A 1 over 1 braid with repeat 2
over 1, repeat 2, float 2. and floating length 2.
By changing the carrier

arrangement to what is shown in
Figure 21, a braid of 2 over 2,
repeat 4, float 1 will instead be
produced as shown in Figure 22.
Figure 21. Carrier arrangement for a 2 over Figure 22. A 2 over 2 braid with
2, repeat 4, float 1. repeat 4 and floating length 2.
The advantages of this machine are the smaller gears, larger space for the carriers and smaller
length variation between the carrier and the braiding point at the center which reduces the
necessary length compensation in the tension system. The configuration is also easy to scale
down for prototyping by reducing the number of gears whilst still being very representative of
the final machine.
The disadvantages are the number of gears and handovers of the carriers which may result in
more friction and larger play in the machine. There is also less flexibility in which braids can be
produced compared to a machine with more horn gear slots per horn gear.
30
4.2.3 Machine configuration using 8 horn gears with 8 slots each.
By using 8 gears and 8 slots per horn gear it is possible to produce more braid structures compared
to a machine using 16 gears and 4 slots per horn gear, whilst still having the same maximum
capacity of 32 carriers. The 8 geared, 8 slotted machine is configured as shown in Figure 23. This
machine configuration can produce 7 different braids, 3 of which are symmetrical.
By arranging the carriers as shown in Figure 23 a braid of 1 over 1, repeat 2, float 4 is produced
as shown in Figure 24.
Figure 23. Carrier arrangement for a 1 over 1, Figure 24. A 1 over 1 braid with repeat 2
repeat 2, float 4. and floating length 4.
By arranging the carriers as shown in Figure 25 the structure shown in Figure 26 is produced with
the pattern 2 over 2, repeat 4, float 2.
31
Figure 25. Carrier arrangement for a 2 over 2, repeat Figure 26. A 2 over 2 braid with repeat
4, float 2. 4 and floating length 2.
Finally, by arranging the carriers in the machine as shown in Figure 27 the braid 4 over 4 with
repeat 8 and float 1 is produced as shown in Figure 28.
Figure 27. Carrier arrangement for a 4 over 4, repeat Figure 28. A 4 over 4 braid with
8, float 1. repeat 8 and floating length 1.
The main advantage of this machine configuration is the possibility of producing 3 kinds of
symmetrical braids. This configuration also has fewer gears and handovers which reduces part
count and may reduce friction. There is also more space in the center of the horn gear which may
be more accommodating for triaxial braiding.
32
The major disadvantage of this configuration is the notably different braid structure compared to
the 16 gear 4 slot configuration. Other disadvantages are larger distance variation to the central
braiding point which requires larger compensation in the carriers and not being as easy to scale
down for prototyping.
4.3 Size limitations

The carrier is the smallest assembly to design, and it must not exceed a certain diameter to avoid
colliding with other carries when traveling in the horn gears. When the horn gear slot
configuration is chosen the variable that determines the available space for the carrier is the size
of the horn gears. Horn gears with a larger diameter provide more space for the carrier. The horn
gear cannot be just any diameter, it needs to be the same as the drive gear’s nominal diameter.
Finally, the horn gear and drives gears assembly need to be mounted in a big circle so the track
will be correct. This will then produce the largest part in the machine, the track plate.
4.3.1 16 Horn gears with 4 slots and 68mm drive gears

By reviewing the created sketch in Figure 29 it is possible to calculate that 68mm in diameter
drive gears gives us 41.01mm in carrier space To design the carrier for this diameter was a
challenge and limits the possibility to change the carrier design a lot. It also limits the possibility
to build different carriers for use with other materials.
Figure 29. Sketch showing size limitations for a 16-gear

machine with 68mm gears.
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4.3.2 16 Horn gears with 4 slots and 80mm drive gears
By altering the dimensions of the sketch in Figure 29 to use 80mm drive gears a new sketch is
produced as shown in Figure 30. Using drive gears with a nominal diameter of 80mm will give us
a lot more space than 68mm drive gears. The space is increased from 41.01mm to 49.5mm this
gives 8.49mm more space for the carrier. This size will make the carrier design easier and the
machine more future proof.
Figure 30. Sketch showing size limitation for a 16-gear

machine using 80mm gears.
4.4 Final machine configuration

Ultimately the final machine configuration was decided to be a 16 gear 4 slot machine using 80
mm drive gears. The choice for configuration was between a 16 gear - 4 slot machine or an 8 gear
- 8 slot machine. The 16 gear - 4 slot machine was chosen after discussion with both the product
recipient and manufacturing specialist where the determining factor was concerns about the
braid structures that an 8 gear 8 slot machine would produce and how such a structure may not
be suitable for OmniFibre. Initially, it was decided that the machine would use 68mm gears to
reduce the total size as much as possible with the current carrier design. However, this was later
changed to 80mm horn gears to give more space for other carrier designs.
4.5 First printed model

To aid in understanding the basic mechanical mechanisms of the braiding machine a simplified
model was 3D printed as seen in Figure 31. This was done at a very early stage of the project at
the same time as the first literature study which was also the basis for this prototype. With the
34
finished model the basic principle of the carrier movement around the machine could be tested
and potential problem areas could be identified which could then be accounted for during the
design process. An issue that was immediately apparent was that very little bending of the horn
gears on the shafts caused a misalignment between horn gears. This misalignment caused the
handover of the carrier to be rough or caused the mechanism to jam completely. Obviously, this
would be a major issue that likely would break a motorized machine. This issue was reduced by
implementing chamfers of the carrier´s upper and lower discs which reduced the risk of a jam and
smoothed out the handovers. Additionally, the fixturing of the horn gear to the shaft would have
to be secured and allow for very little movement on later prototypes. The 3d printed model also
allowed for real world testing of different carrier configurations and helped gain understanding
of which order to load the carriers to achieve a desired configuration.
Figure 31 First 3d-printed model
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5 Proposed design
The proposed design is for a smaller prototype. The smaller prototype’s purpose is to be a platform
to test and verify the design of the entire machine. Since it consists of 8 horn gears with 4 slots it
represents the full-scale machine in all aspects except the number of horn gears. The most time-
consuming part to manufacture is the carrier so a prototype needs to have a lower number of
carriers to speed up manufacturing but still be representative of the final machines function. 4
horn gears with 4 slots were considered too small and would create a square braid. 6 horn gears
with 4 slots would result in 12 threads which is not divisible with 32 so 8 horn gears were chosen.
8 horn gears with 4 slots gives us 16 threads which is divisible with 32.
5.1 Base assembly

The base assembly in Figure 32 is the most important assembly since it contains all the parts
responsible for the core functionality of the braiding machine. It moves the carriers in the
required motion to achieve a braid.
Figure 32 Base assembly overview
5.1.1 Guide track plate

The guide track plate in Figure 33 is one of the largest parts of the braiding machine and its main
function is to house the track for the carriers. The track forces the carrier to switch horn gears
and creates the movement necessary to create a braid. The focus when designing the track plate
was to make it one part because this creates a more stable and accurate part which also is a lot
36
easier to manufacture in the CNC mill. The eight islands formed by the guide track contains the
housing of the top bearings. The top bearing is a ball bearing with a loose fit and is axially stopped
by a retaining ring in the housing and a ledge on the shaft. The center hole is for the passthrough
of the tube that is going to be braided over. In the corners of the track plate there are cutouts
that are meant for the aluminum extrusion frame. The corners needed to be cut out with a 90-
degree inner corner but to achieve that on a mill over milling is needed. The radius on the milling
tool makes it impossible to create a 90-degree inner corner, which is why over milling must be
used, i.e., the mill tool mills past the corner to remove the radius. The smaller holes at the corners
of the plate are used for fixating the track plate to the aluminum extrusion frame. Finally, the
remaining larger counterbored holes are used for the spacers between the track plate and the
base plate. The holes had to be counterbored for the screwheads to not interfere with the horn
gears and carriers.
Figure 33 Guide track plate
37
5.1.2 Base plate
The base plate in Figure 34 shares much of
the features of the guide track plate
except for the guide track itself. The center
hole is used for tube passthrough, and the
eight holes placed in a circle is the bearing
house for the lower bearing. The lower
bearing is an angular contact bearing with
transition fit and is held in place axially by
an edge in the bearing housing and a ledge
on the shaft. All other holes have the same
function as on the guide track plate.
Figure 34 Base plate
5.1.3 Plate spacer
Something needed to hold the guide track plate and

base plate together to create the sandwich design. At
first a simple spacer Figure 36 was used with just a
hole straight through but was changed to a spacer
with one hole on each side with an internal thread
Figure 35. This design change meant that the use of a
very long drill could be avoided. A long drill is less
stable than a short drill and therefore makes less
accurate holes. Additionally, this change was also
made to reduce play between the spacers and plates.
Figure 36. Figure 35 Plate Spacer with

Plate spacer. threads
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5.1.4 Guide track plug
To be able to load the carriers into the machine an opening in the track is
needed. That opening will cause problems when the machine is running
and could jam the carriers. The solution is a simple plug shown in Figure
37 that screws in place after all carriers are loaded and follows the shape
of the track. The shape must follow the track otherwise the carrier’s boat
can catch on the edge and get stuck which could severely damage the
Figure 37. Guide track plug. carrier and other parts of the machine.
5.2 Gear assembly

The gear assembly in Figure 38 and Figure 39 is the main subassembly of the machine which is
repeated trough the machine to form the motion system. It is the assembly of the horn gear,
shaft, drive gear and bearings. The functionality and accuracy of this assembly is crucial for the
machine to function. Because of this the design and the methods used for manufacturing was
altered multiple times to ensure a functional gear assembly.
Figure 38. Gear assembly.
39
Figure 39. Sectioned overview of the gear assembly
5.2.1 Horn gears

The primary function of the horn gears is to hold and move the carriers. The geometry of the horn
gear is very important to get the handover as smooth as possible. The handover is when one horn
gear transfers a carrier to another horn gear. If this is not done correctly the machine will jam.
Because the drive gears must mesh with each other the drive gears are offset relative to one
another. However, this is not the case for the horn gears, instead the horn gears must be perfectly
aligned. Because of this, half of the horn gears must be aligned differently relative to its drive gear
to align properly with the other horn gears. Because of this, two different variants of horn gears
were designed as shown in Figure 40, an A and a B variant. The only difference between these
variants is that the keyway which connects the horn gear to the shaft is twisted so that the horn
gear A and B aligns differently with their respective drive gears. This slight issue would have been
possible to avoid by choosing a drive gear with a tooth count that is divisible by two but not by 4.
This would allow for identical horn gears to be used by having the gear assemblies rotated 90
degrees relative to the next assembly. However, due to lack of availability in the size ranges
required for the machine, such drive gears could not be used. After the first test with an A and B
version of the horn gear it was clear that the necessary tolerance needed to achieve a smooth
handover of the carrier between the horn gears was not possible. The main cause was the method
of manufacturing the keyway in the drive gear. A broaching tool together with a hydraulic press
was used and could not repeatedly manufacture keyways with sufficient accuracy. This caused
the horn gear and drive gear to deviate from their needed position relative to each other which
40
caused a rough handover or sometimes a jam. Because of this issue, the horn gears needed to be
adjusted to compensate for the inaccuracies in the keyway. A new design which was able to be
adjusted after assembling the base assembly was designed as shown in Figure 41. In this design a
friction plate was manufactured which contained a keyway and four arced slots with socket head
screws and two holes for permanent screws. This made it possible to twist the horn gear relative
to the friction plate until the socket head screws were at the end of the slot if needed. The screws
could then be tightened and the friction plate together with the horn gear could be separated
from the shaft, after which holes can be drilled in the horn gear through the friction plate
permanent holes and then tapped. This ensured a strong connection to prevent slipping between
the friction plate and the horn gear. Even though the friction between the friction plate and the
horn gear was enough when testing the permanent socket screw will be needed as extra safety
for long term operation of the machine.
Figure 40 Horn Gear A (left) and B (right).
Figure 41. Final horn gear design, utilizing an adjustable friction plate.
41
5.2.2 Drive gears
The drive gear in Figure 42 not only drives the
horn gears rotational movement but also
synchronizes all the horn gear so the carrier can
move from one horn gear to another. The
selection of the drive gear was a critical part of
the design process. A critical requirement was
that the tooth count had to be divisible by 2 for
the horn gears to align correctly throughout the
rotation of the gear assembly. At first a tooth
count was chosen that made it possible to design
a single variant of horn gears. But later that drive
Figure 42 Purchased Drive Gear M2 Z40 gear was not available for purchase. That led to
the design of two horn gear variants. The other
critical part when choosing a drive gear was the nominal diameter. Drive gears are bought by
choosing a module (M) and tooth count (Z) and the nominal diameter is the product of the chosen
module and tooth count. The nominal diameter of the drive gears affects the diameter of the
horn gear which in turn decides the available space for the carriers. However, choosing a much
larger drive gear would drastically increase the total size of the machine. All these requirements
limited the available gear options to M2 Z34 and M2 Z40. The 34 toothed gear would allow for a
smaller machine but ultimately the larger 40 toothed gear was chosen. This would allow for
slightly larger carriers and therefore more flexibility in the current carrier design and potential
future carrier designs for different thread materials.
42
5.2.3 Shaft
The design of the shaft in Figure 43 went through a lot of different
variants mostly because it needed to be adapted to available bearings
and drive gears. The lower end of the shaft has a transition fit for the
angular contact bearing. Above that, there is the edge where the drive
gear rests and is stopped axially in the downwards direction. To lock the
drive gears rotation to the shaft a keyway is used. A retaining ring stops
the drive gear axially in the up direction. After the drive gear comes the
ball bearing with a loose fit which is axially stopped downwards by a
ledge. The ball bearing is free to move upwards axially up to 1mm before
reaching a retaining ring in the bearing housing. This is done to allow for
thermal expansion of the shaft. Above the bearing comes the edge for
the horn gear with the same purpose as the edge for the drive gear and
ball bearing. By this ledge there is a keyway to lock the rotation of the
Figure 43. Final shaft horn gear to the shaft using a key. Finally, at the top of the shaft there is
iteration before horn gear an external thread meant for a locking nut. This will tightly fasten the
design change. horn gear to the shaft to eliminate unwanted movement and reduce the
risk of misalignment between horn gears.
Figure 44 shows the final design of the shaft, it is very similar to the previous
design in Figure 43 but with two changes due to issues that were noticed during
the first assembly of the prototype. The first smaller change is the slight
reduction in the surface area of the lower ledge that support the drive gear. This
was done because the larger ledge completely covered the inner ring of the
angular contact bearing that is press fitted onto the shaft. This meant that the
bearing could not be removed without damaging it since it could not be pulled
off the shaft correctly by pulling on the inner ring. The second change was due
to the change in horn gear design which meant using a radial key instead of an
axial one. The keyway at the top of the shaft was therefore cut all the way
through the shaft. At first the keyway was closed and not cut through the end of
the shaft but after doing a test assembly of the gear assembly with the new horn
gear design it became apparent that the horn gear could not be removed after
assembly. This is because the radial key in the horn gear could not be removed
Figure 44. Final without first removing the horn gear from the shaft, which becomes an
shaft design. impossibility. The keyway was therefore elongated so that the horn gear and key
could be removed from the shaft together after which the key could be removed
if required.
43
5.2.4 Bearings
Bottom bearing
When choosing bearings there is a lot of

different factors affecting what bearings to
choose. First the shaft is vertically
mounted. That means that there will be a
constant axial load. So, an angular contact
bearing was chosen for the bearing in the
base plate. This will handle a lot of axial
force and needs to be axially fixated by a
physical edge not just an interference fit.
The available bearings from the supplier
Figure 45. Tolerance calculation for angular contact bearing (SKF, were limited in the dimensions that would
2022).
work except very expensive super precision
bearings. So, a non-sealed bearing was
selected (Angular contact bearing FAG 7200-B-XL-TVP). This will require lubrication. To make the
mounting of the bearing easier a transition fit was chosen with the help of SKFs tolerance
calculation tool shown in. Figure 45
Top Bearing
Since the bottom bearing will take up

most of the axial load a ball bearing can be
used in the top. A ball bearing can take
axial load but not as much as an angular
contact bearing. The diameter of the shaft
where the horn gear lies needs to be big
enough for the horn gear to be stable. So,
a ball bearing with a larger inner diameter
than initially designed was chosen (Ball
bearing Biltema 6001 RS). A sealed
bearing was chosen so relubrication could
Figure 46. Tolerance calculation for ball bearing. (SKF, 2022)
be avoided. Then the SKF calculator was
used to get tolerances for a loose fit,
shown in Figure 46.
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5.3 Carrier assembly
In the beginning of the design process of the carrier, focus was on creating a functional carrier
(See Figure 48 and Figure 49) that would keep the thread under tension and brake the spool when
the tension gets to low and releasing the brake when the tension gets too high. In later stages it
was evident that the carrier design in Figure 49 was too complicated to manufacture and had too
many parts. Focus was then on simplifying the design and making it easier to manufacture with
the available manufacturing methods which resulted in the design in Figure 47. This was the first
carrier concept to be made with a CNC where the focus shifted towards miniaturization of the
whole carrier to fit the, at the time, current braiding machine concept with smaller gears than
was chosen in the end. It became clear that the space for the carrier with the smaller drive gears
was not enough to be able to make other designs of the carrier in the future, which is why a drive
gear with larger diameter eventually was chosen. The carrier design later had some further
alterations resulting in the final design shown in Figure 50.
Figure 48 Early design Figure 49 First complete Figure 47. Second carrier
concept of the carrier carrier concept design after simplification
and part reduction.
45
Figure 50 Final carrier design with removable foot.
5.3.1 Tensioning system

The chosen tensioning system shown in Figure 50 is a lever balanced spring tensioned design. This
design was chosen as it is the more common design for smaller thread applications. The design
was altered to be more accommodating to available manufacturing methods, but the general
system remains similar and functions the same way. There are two pistons that are connected to
a tensioner arm on either side of the arm’s point of rotation. The thread passes around a wheel
attached to the end of the arms which pulls on the arm as the thread is pulled. The tensioning
piston is spring loaded which pushes the arm downwards and tensions the thread. The second
piston is the brake piston which is pressed upwards by a small spring so that it engages the slots
in the base of the spool, preventing the spool from rotating. As more thread is being pulled from
the carrier the tension rises, the arm moves upwards, and the tension piston compresses the
tension spring. Once the arms move far enough, the back end of the arm pushes down the brake
piston which allows the spool to rotate and release more thread, which in turn releases the
tension and the arm moves back down which causes the break piston to re-engage the spool.
46
5.3.2 Carrier foot and base
Figure 52 Current carrier foot design Figure 53 Current carrier base design
From the beginning the carrier foot and the base were two separate
parts as visible in Figure 49. This was because the carrier foot will have
friction between the boat shaped part and the track. Additionally, the
waist of the carrier foot and the inner top part of the carrier foot contact
the horn gear and create friction. It was reasoned that a separate foot
would be preferred from a maintenance standpoint since the part that
will wear the most can be replaced independently from the rest of the
carrier. However, somewhere during the miniaturization process of the
carrier assembly the foot and the base became a single part, see Figure
47. This decision was made to make the carrier smaller and easier to
Figure 51 Current carrier foot manufacture. Even though the miniaturization process was very
and base assembly
successful, a decision was later made to again separate the base and
foot. This feature was reimplemented due to the previously mentioned
advantages and could this time be accomplished with minimal change to the newer design and
with very little effect on the manufacturability. This way, the carrier foot could also be made from
other materials with less friction than aluminum without having to manufacture both the base
and foot with said material. By using a softer material for the carrier foot, the friction in the
machine could be reduced and wear could be concentrated to the foot so that other more
important parts such as the horn gears can last longer before wearing out. Even though the foot
and base were simplified it will still be a complicated part to machine needing 12 setups in total
with the tools and machines available.
47
5.3.3 Tensioner arm
The tensioner arm shown in Figure 54 is shaped to try and
maximize the range of travel for the thread. This is done to
maximize the possible compensation distance so that the
variances in distance to the braid point can be compensated
for by the arms range of travel, as otherwise the thread will
not be tensioned sufficiently. The hole at the back of the arm
is the point of rotation. The arm is connected to the tension
piston by a pin that runs in the slot next to the rotation point.
The flat face on the rear bottom side of the arm is what
Figure 54. Carrier arm. contacts the pin connected to the brake piston. At the very
end of the arm is a hole for attaching a V-groove wheel which
the thread runs around and pulls on the arm.
5.3.4 Pistons
The piston shown in Figure 55 is used for both the tension and brake pistons.
Initially the pistons were different lengths but through tweaking the carrier and
spool designs the pistons could be made identical to make manufacturing
easier. The part is very simple, being just a cylinder with a small hole for a pin
to go through. The ends are chamfered to reduce the risk of the piston jamming
in the cylinder.
Figure 55. Carrier

piston.
48
5.3.5 Spine
The main purpose of the carrier spine is to be a rigid structure to hold
other carrier parts that need to be elevated from the base. Towards the
middle and base of the spine shown in Figure 56 there are two counter-
bored clearance holes where two M3 screws mount the spine to the
carrier base. These holes had to be counter-bored to give clearance
between the tensioning wheel on the arm and the screw heads. On the
right side of the spine is a rounded edge which guides the thread off
the spool and towards the wheel mounted on the spine. This is done to
reduce tension fluctuation caused but the varying distance between
the first guide wheel and the point at which the thread leaves the spool
during the unwinding of the spool. However, because of the required
position of this rounded edge the spine would block the path of one of
the tensioning arms. To solve this a long thin slot was added for the arm
to pass through. Towards the upper part of the spine there is a small
hole which is used for mounting the first guide wheel. Above said hole
there is a large cutout which function is to allow the spool clamp to
rotate down and give clearance so that the spool can be removed.
Figure 56. Carrier spine. Finally, the horizontal through holes at the top of the spine are used for
mounting the spool clamp.
5.3.6 Spool
The spool in Figure 57 is what holds the thread used for creating the braid. Since the threads in
the machine must be under constant tension the spools must not be able to rotate freely as this
would release too much thread which makes it impossible to maintain tension. Because of this
the spools must include a feature that allows them to be braked. With the chosen tensioning
system, the spools require a sort of slotted bottom as shown in Figure 58 which the brake piston
engages with. The spool has a 6 mm inner diameter to be compatible with the available winding
processes for this project. The inner tube shape of the spool is extended beyond the bottom and
top surfaces to reduce friction between the spool and the rest of the carrier. To make the part
easier to manufacture two flat sides are designed as this makes it easier to clamp the part in a
vise. The toothed bottom of the spool was also designed to be easily slot milled. The top has small,
milled slot which is used when spooling up thread.
49
Figure 57. Spool Figure 58. Bottom of carrier spool
showing the slots in which the brake
piston engages.
5.3.7 Spool clamp
The main purpose of the spool clamp is to fix the spool in place. The latest version shown in Figure
59 also houses a hole with a fillet to guide the thread unlike the older design in Figure 60. The
spool clamp was greatly simplified in the latest design becoming one part with the guide hole. It
does not affect the function of the guide hole when placed in the spool clamp since it only needs
to function when the clamp is down and screwed in place over the spool.
Figure 59. Latest Spool clap design that holds the spool in
place and guides the thread. Figure 60. Initial design for spool clamp.
50
5.3.8 Guide wheels and eyelets
The purpose of the guide wheels and eylet shown in Figure 62 is to guide the thread trough the
tensioning system and out of the carrier as shown in Figure 61. The resoning for using wheels
rather than only eyelets is to reduce total friction in the carrier which can affect the thread
tension. However, using a guide wheel where the thread exits the carrier is more difficut since
the exit direction contiously changes as the carrier moves around the machine. Therefore, if a
guide wheel were to be used it would need to have the ablity to rotate in the horizontal plane
which would requier a bearing and a more complecated assembly. Because of this, it was decided
that an eylet would be appropriate in order to simplify the design of the carrier.
Figure 61 Path of the thread shown in blue. Figure 62 Guide wheels and eyelet
51
5.4 Frame
The frame in Figure 64 is made of aluminum extrusions 20x20mm with t-slots. Aluminum
extrusions are a flexible and fast way to build a sturdy adaptable frame. It was decided early in
the design process that aluminum extrusions were the best choice. The frame has a lot of
functionality in addition to housing all the components like shown in Figure 63. It needs to lift the
base assembly up so the tube can be fed underneath the base assembly through the center hole.
Then the tube goes through the braid point guide over the base assembly and then through the
hole on the top which leads to the take-off mechanism. The aluminum extrusions make it possible
to design a linear system that can position the braid point guide at different heights over the base
assembly. The height of the ring is crucial to controlling the braiding point. The t-slots in the
aluminum extrusions will also make it easy to attach protective side panels, an electrical motor
and other addons such as operator controls and an enclosure for electrical equipment.
Figure 63 Current most complete assembly Figure 64 Current frame assembly
52
6 Manufacturing
In this chapter the manufacturing process of all parts of the proposed design, modified parts,
fixtures and tools are presented. Changes of the parts made along the manufacturing process are
also explained and shown.
6.1 Manufacturing fixtures

For certain parts to be manufactured or for larger parts to be machined more effectively, special
fixtures are often necessary when manufacturing.
6.1.1 Hole Table

For the manufacturing of flat parts such as the guide track plate, bottom plate, and horn gears
the stock material is suitably fixed to a flat surface, because a vise would not be able to adequately
hold the large workpieces needed for these parts. For this, a hole table fixture as shown in Figure
65 was manufactured. A hole table is simply a large flat plate with an array of equally spaced
tapped holes for fixing workpieces. The hole table is mounted to the table of the CNC-milling
machine. Flat workpieces can then be clamped or screwed down securely for machining. This is a
very accommodating type of fixture which can be used for many different parts.
Figure 65 Hole table fixture in the CNC-mill.
53
6.1.2 Fixture carrier arms
For other more awkwardly shaped parts such as
the carrier arms it may be necessary to
manufacture a fixture to be able to machine the
part at all. I this case, the fixture shown in Figure 66
was manufactured to hold six pre-cut carrier arms
for precise hole drilling and slot milling. The fixture
was made by milling down a pocket with an outline
that matches the carrier arm, this way the arms can
be positioned in the fixture and screwed down. The
fixture can then be mounted in the vise and new
arms can be machined without re-doing the
machine setup since the fixture never leaves the
vise.
Figure 66. Carrier arm fixture mounted in a vise.
6.1.3 Vise and vise jaws

The vise is a versatile platform that holds smaller
parts and fixtures. The jaws are detachable so
custom jaws can be machined for specific parts or
applications. The mill’s current vise did not have an
available cad-file since it is very old. But a drawing
with some measurements were available and the
rest of the measurements were done by hand. That
made it possible to create a Solidworks assembly
of the vise see Figure 67. This is extremely useful
since the vise and the part can be in the same
Figure 67 Solidworks assembly of vise used during assembly in the cam software. The work
manufacturing coordinate can be set on the stationary jaw to
reduce set up time and the cam-software can
detect collisions with the vise.
With a model of the vise, it is also easier to machine custom soft jaws for parts that are otherwise
difficult or impossible to hold in a vise. Round parts such as the shaft and horn gears cannot be
held accurately and securely using normal vise jaws. By machining soft jaws for the shaft (see
54
Figure 69) and horn gears (see Figure 68) these parts could be manufactured more accurately and
with less setup time.
Figure 69. Shaft soft jaws. Figure 68. Horn gear soft jaws.
6.2 Manufacturing Tools

Sometimes when oddly shaped or very small geometry needs to be machined it may be necessary
to create your own tools for a CNC lathe or mill. Cost and time can also be a factor when
manufacturing your own tools. If the delivery time is too long for a tool you need, manufacturing
your own can be a good option or if the tool is very expensive and you are only going to use it for
a single part. Furthermore, old worn-out tools can be repurposed by grinding into new tools.
55
6.2.1 Side mill for inner groove on guide track plate
To machine the groove inside of the bearing housings in the guide track
plate an available side mill was modified to the necessary dimensions, see
Figure 70. This groove was used for an internal retaining ring.
Figure 70. Modified side

mill used when cutting
grooves for internal
retaining rings.
6.2.2 Very small groove tools

When turning the shaft, a very narrow groove for a retaining ring
needed to be machined. A lathe high speed steel bar was ground
to a narrow horn shaped groove tool Figure 71 . Similarly, when
machining the guide wheels for the carrier a very thin V-slot had
to be cut which required a custom ground tool shown in Figure
72.
Figure 71 Manufactured groove tool for

retaining ring groove.
Figure 72. Small V-shaped groove tool.
56
6.2.3 Threading tool with 60 degrees angle
The end of the shaft has a M10 thread but a tool with the correct
cutting angle was not available so instead an old worn out HSS
flat-end-mill was ground to the correct angle and used as a
threading tool in the lathe as shown in Figure 73.
Figure 73 Self-made threading tool
6.3 Guide track plate

Since the guide track plate in Figure 74 is a large flat part, it is machined using the hole table
fixture. When machining this part, the outer contour was slot milled out of a larger stock piece,
this means that there will be two separate pieces when the milling is done. Because of this, both
parts must be fastened to the hole table, the outer remaining stock is clamped down, but the
inner actual finished part must be held down by screws that go through the part into the hole
table. This usually means that there must be a few sacrificial holes drilled in the part which are
only used for manufacturing. But in the case of this guide track plate there were existing holes
that are used for the spacers. By adjusting the positions of these holes, they could also be used
as fixturing holes when manufacturing which eliminated the need for sacrificial holes. Ideally, the
stock piece would first be sawed to the approximately right dimensions so that slot milling would
not be necessary and instead side milling could be used, this would be better for tool wear and
would not produce any loose scrap.
57
Figure 74. Finished Guide track plate mounted on the hole table.
6.4 Base plate

The base plate in Figure 76 was machined in the same way as the guide track plate but with some
additional changes. Since this machine is only a prototype many scrap material pieces were used
during manufacturing. For the base plate the stock was a large plate with a pattern of drilled
indentations as shown in Figure 76, this meant that the spacers would not have a flat surface to
mount to which is not ideal. Because of this, counterbores were made to create a flat surface and
the spacers were slightly lengthened as a result. The center holes were also chamfered
significantly more than normal so that the tube that is fed through the hole during braiding is not
caught on any sharp edges caused by the indentations in the plate. These additional changes will
not apply to the final machine however, as it will use new material rather than scrap pieces. The
finished base plate can be seen in Figure 75
58
Figure 76. Image of the used scrap piece for the base Figure 75 Finished base plate
plate.
6.5 Plate spacers
Aluminum rods from an old lab stand were used as plate spacers. The rods were cut to length on
the lathe then positioned upright in the vise for drilling and tapping. The work coordinate was
placed on a vise jaw rather than directly on the part to reduce the need for recalibration between
parts. For maximum precision when drilling and tapping a rod the lathe would be a better choice.
But the lack of tool holders for the lathe made the mill the faster choice and maximum precision
was not necessary for the plate spacers.
6.6 Horn Gears

The horn gears in Figure 77 consist of a 2-dimensional shape which makes them suitable for
milling out of plate stock. This also means that multiple horn gears can be milled at once which
reduces manufacturing time as fewer setups have to be done. To mill a plate in this way the plate
is secured to a hole table. However, when machining out the part it will release from the rest of
the material and become loose which could ruin the part. Therefore, the part also needs to be
fixed to the table which requires drilling holes that can secure the part to the hole table using
screws. This is done by first clamping down the stock together with a sacrificial plate on the hole
table and then drilling holes at the correct positions so that they align with the holes in the hole
table. Then the stock can be positioned and secured on the hole table with screws and hold downs
after which the milling can be done. This method was used when making the first version of the
horn gears but once the machine was assembled it was apparent that this method would not
produce the part with enough accuracy. The issue was with the facing operations that cut the
thickness of the part. When doing this operation some clamps had to be removed so the area of
the stock could be machined, but this caused the stock to bend up slightly meaning that too much
material was removed. This caused the finished horn gears to be slightly different thicknesses and
59
not completely flat. Because of this issue, it was decided when the horn gear design was changed
that a different manufacturing method would be used. First, a stock was cut to roughly the right
size and clamped in the vise. Then all sides but the bottom was milled (see Figure 78) after which
the part was flipped and clamped in the vise using custom soft jaws that are cut to hold the shape
of the horn gear (see Figure 80). The remainder of the stock on the bottom of the part could now
be faced off, leaving the finished part (Figure 79, Figure 82 and Figure 81). This method was more
accurate and likely caused less tool wear since slot milling could be avoided and constant
engagement toolpaths could instead be used which reduces tool wear.
Figure 77. Finished early horn gears of variant A. Figure 78. Horn gear after first milling job.
Figure 80. Partially completed horn gear held in soft

jaws before second milling job.
Figure 79. Completed horn gear after second milling job.
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Figure 82. Completed horn gear without Figure 81. Completed horn gear with
friction plate. friction plate.
6.7 Drive gears

The drive gear in Figure 83 is a purchased part since the
tools required to manufacture high quality gears are not
available for this project. These purchased gears do not
include a way of limiting radial movement relative to the
shaft it is mounted on. Because of this the gears must be
additionally machined to have a keyway or a setscrew. The
alignment of this keyway or set screw is also important as it
affects the alignment between horn gears. A keyway can be
machined on a lathe by locking the position of the spindle
Figure 83 Bought drive gear
and driving a broaching tool back and forth trough the gear
to cut the keyway, this could also be done on a mill in a similar way. Alternatively, a slot could
also be milled normally but this would produce a keyway with a rounded end rather than a square
end which could affect accuracy unless a key is also made to fit the rounded keyway. Ultimately,
access was gained to a set of broaching tools that cut the keyways by using a hydraulic press on
the broaching tool. However, this method alone cannot align the keyway as was necessary for the
function of the machine. To solve this problem, the slot in each drive gear was first partly
machined accurately to a lower depth (see Figure 84) so that the broaching tool could be aligned
correctly before cutting the remainder of the keyway.
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Figure 84. CAM Stock simulation showing how the purchased gears were pre-machined before broaching.
6.8 Shaft
The shaft consists of several different diameter segments that are made to precisely fit bearings,
the drive gears, and horn gears. Most of the shaft is turned on a CNC lathe to the right dimensions.
To be in tolerance, the shaft is machined one segment at a time to keep rigidity in the shaft as
much as possible when machining the segment furthest away from the chuck. Several test shafts
were also made to tune cam setting for the best results. The shaft is threaded on one end which
also is cut on the lathe to produce better threads and reduce manufacturing time compared to
threading by hand. Finally, the shaft has two keyways that are milled. The keyways are aligned in
the same plane to be machined at the same time, as machining these separately at different
positions would be much more difficult without a 4-axis mill. To securely hold the shaft in the mill
a pair of custom soft jaws were used as demonstrated in Figure 85. A completed shaft can be
seen in Figure 86.
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Figure 85. Fixturing of the shaft in the CNC mill,
demonstrated here using an already milled shaft.
Figure 86. Completed shaft.
6.9 Carrier foot and base

The carrier foot and base in Figure 87 where first machined on the lathe to create the waist and
chamfers after which it was cut to length before it moved to the mill. In the mill the piece was
held in place in the vise to mill the flat surface on the foot’s round parts. The purpose of this
surface was only to be able to clamp the piece in an upright position and mill out the shape of the
base and drill the holes for the pistons. After that the piece was turned in the vise to mill out the
slots and the hole on the side. A last it was turned again in the vise to drill and tap the holes for
the spine.
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The manufacturing process was later changed when the foot and base became two separate
parts. The lathe was used to make the round geometry on the foot and the mill was used to create
the flat sides, boat shape as well as the hole and slot used for mounting the base block. A finished
carrier foot is shown in Figure 89. The base could then be manufactured using only the mill
however it was still a complicated part to mill because of all the different sides that needed to be
milled. First, two setups were needed to create the basic shape of the base. After which, five of
six sides needed milling and that lead to five different positions in the wise i.e., it added five
different setups. That resulted in a total of seven setups. A series of completed carrier bases are
shown in Figure 90.
Figure 87 First CNC lathed and milled carrier foot and base Figure 88 The carrier foot and base placed on the guide track plate
Figure 90. Several completed carrier bases.
Figure 89. Completed carrier foot made from aluminum.
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6.10 Carrier Arm, Spine, and spool clamp
The carrier arm, spine and spool clamp parts were all manufactured in
the same way. First, the outer contour of the parts was water jet cut.
Then, the parts were placed in a custom fixture such as the one
previously shown in Figure 66 and features such as slots, holes and
counterbores were machined out on the CNC mill. Finally, the side hole
in the spine and spool clamp were drilled individually in the CNC mill by
clamping them in the vise. However, part way through the project the
water jet cutter broke down and the manufacturing process had to be
altered. The parts were now instead machined out of 3-5mm thick
smaller plates held in the vise. This way both the contour and other
features could be cut at the same time. The contour cut was
programmed to leave two small tabs that held the part in place much
like how it is done when using the water jet. These tabs were then cut
off and any remains were sanded down. The side holes were then
drilled the same way as before. The finished parts can be seen in Figure
91. Although this method of manufacturing is likely not any faster than
using the water jet cutter, it is more accurate since most features are
machined together and the contour cuts will not be tapered due to
water jet stream deflecting during the cut.
Figure 91. Finished parts, from
top to bottom: Spine, Arm, and
Spool clamp.
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6.11 Pistons
When manufacturing the pistons, the correct diameter and chamfers are
turned on the CNC-lathe after which the hole is drilled on the CNC-mill. Since
32 pistons must be made for the prototype a fixture for the mill that can hold
many pistons at once is likely needed to significantly reduce the necessary
setup time. A completed carrier piston is shown in Figure 92, the piston in the
figure has two different sized holes for testing two sizes of tensioning pins. The
final batch of pistons will only have one hole. Figure 92.
Completed carrier
piston with two
different size holes
for testing.
6.12 Spool
Much of the spool is cut on the CNC- lathe (see Figure 93) but the bottom of the spool must be
milled. To mill the bottom, the spool needs to be clamped in a vise as shown in Figure 94. To do
this there has to be sufficient surface contact between the spool and the vise jaw so that the spool
does not move during milling. Because of this, two parallel sides of the round spool are milled to
have flat surfaces as visible in Figure 95. These are then used for clamping the spool vertically
upside down in the vise so that the bottom of the spool can be milled. The spool is then turned
around to drill the hole and mill the small slot in the top.
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Figure 93 Spool after the lathe Figure 94 Spool after milled bottom Figure 95 Finished Spool
6.13 Frame
The frame in Figure 96 consists of 20x20mm aluminum
extrusions with t-slots. A kit with 12 pieces of 500mm long
extrusions were bought and were cut to length to fit the base
assembly.
Figure 96 Test fit of base assembly in

cut frame
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7 Testing and design evaluation
This chapter aims to explain the process and results of testing various aspects of the design during
the design process as well as the preliminary tests of the manufactured braiding machine.
7.1 Initial guide track tests

The guide track plate was manufactured at a relatively early stage of the project. At this point a
handful of early carrier parts had been made one of which was the, at the time, combined carrier
foot and base. This allowed for some initial testing of the guide track ability to guide the carrier
as well as the fitment between the foot and the guide track. The combined carrier foot and base
was placed in the guide track like shown in Figure 97 and pushed by hand through the guide track.
The test showed that the design functioned well, the carrier had a good fitment with the track
and was guided through the track easily and smoothly, thus providing a positive initial validation
of the design.
Figure 97. Early desing of combined carrier foot and base placed in
the guide track for testing.
7.2 Testing of gear timings, carrier transfer and carrier

loading.
When the track plate, bottom plate, and parts for a pair of gear assemblies had been made, a test
was conducted to evaluate the design of the gear assembly. By partially assembling the base
assembly with only two gear assemblies as shown in Figure 98 the alignment of the gears could
be checked as well as the transfer of the carrier between horn gears and the loading of a carrier
into the machine. The initial test was very promising, showing a good alignment between the
horn gears, smooth transfer of the carrier and successful loading of the carrier in both directions
of travel. With these result additional gear assemblies were manufactured, however once these
assemblies were manufactured and tested, it was evident that the initial successful alignment
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between the horn gears had been pure luck. The newer assemblies proved too inaccurate, and a
design change was needed. This was the point at which the horn gears and shaft were redesigned
to have the ability to adjust the alignment of the horn gears. A similar test shown in Figure 99 was
conducted again to validate the new design and the ability to adjust the horn gears to align. The
new design proved successful, and the position of the horn gear could be adjusted precisely to
achieve good alignment.
Figure 98. Partial assembly of base assembly for testing horn Figure 99. Testing horn gear alignment using the newer horn
gear alignment. gear design.
7.3 Motor driven testing of base assembly and carrier

movement.
With the newer horn gear design being successful the remainder of the gear assemblies were
manufactured after which the entire base assembly was assembled. A 24-volt dc motor was then
mounted to the side of the machine with a 12 toothed gear that meshes with one of the gears in
the base assembly. Using the motor, the entire base assembly could be driven, and a carrier could
be test run through the entire machine as shown in Figure 100. The test was mostly successful
with the carrier following the guide track well and the timing of all horn gears worked perfectly.
However, some transfers of the carrier between certain horn gears appeared rough with the
movements slowing slightly indicating increased friction which was also confirmed by the motor
drawing more amperage. This issue was somewhat expected since a few horn gears were reworks
of previous versions which were not as accurately manufactured. Overall, the test was promising
and showed that the main design aspects were working as intended and that with some tweaking
and replacing of parts the machine should work quite well.
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Figure 100. Setup for initial motor driven testing.
7.4 Initial tests of carrier tension system

With the base assembly largely complete, a complete carrier was needed. The remainder of
carrier parts for one carrier were manufactured and assembled, after which initial tests of the
tension system could be conducted. For the test 0.1 mm in diameter fishing wire was used. The
wire was wound up on the carrier spool and routed through the tension system. The carrier was
then held in place and the wire was pulled away from the carrier similarly to how the wire is
expected to be pulled out in the machine, the test is shown in Figure 101. By visually observing
and recording in slow motion, the movement of the tension system was analyzed. The test looked
promising showing the compensation arm rise with the tension in the wire and the brake
disengaging and releasing more thread. The wire was then pulled unevenly to simulate the
varying distance to the braiding point as the carrier moves in the machine. This test also looked
promising showing the tension arm compensating for the varying forces and keeping the wire at
tension. An issue that was observed was the brake piston sometimes stopping between the slots
of the spool rather than in the slots where it was intended, this is shown in Figure 102. This could
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prevent the tension arm from lowering as the tension in the wire is reduced which could cause a
slack wire which may affect the braided product. This issue was reduced by lowering the spring
rate for the brake piston, but additional design changes may be needed to the spool and piston.
Overall, the tensioning system functioned above expectations since this was the first ever test of
the system and most aspects functioned quite well.
Figure 101. Still frame from video of initial Figure 102. Brake piston stopped
testing of tensioning system. between slots in the spool.
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7.5 Initial braid test.
After the tension system had been tested and performed above
expectation with only minor issues. It was time for a braid test in the
motor driven machine. One carrier with thread was loaded in the machine
and the thread was pulled towards the center where a plastic tube was
pulled through the machine to represent the core of the braid. The
machine was then powered by the motor and the carrier with the thread
moved around in the machine whilst the core and the thread were pulled
upwards by hand while trying to keep a steady pace. The singular thread
was “braided”, or more accurately wrapped, around the core and was
kept under tension by the tension system. The test was filmed both
normally and with slow motion so that the process could be closely
observed after the test. The resulting “braid” is shown in Figure 103 and
looked promising with a relatively consistent shape with no apparent
defects.
Figure 103. Produced

"braid" from initial braid
test.
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8 Analysis
This chapter will present the analysis of the results. It will explain why the current design, Figure
63, is the result of the customer demands, the theory of braiding machines and the manufacturing
limitations of the available manufacturing machines.
8.1 Design criteria

The customer demands in Table 3 focus on what the braiding machine should be capable of
producing, which form the basis for answering research question 1. This is difficult to definitively
evaluate without a finished working protype. However, the prototype was designed with
flexibility and adjustability in mind. The additional carrier space on the machine leaves room for
larger and different carrier types that may be needed for other materials and spool lengths.
OmniFibre requires an unusually low braiding angle, which is why the braiding point can be
adjusted with the ring best seen in Figure 64 on the linear system above the base assembly.
Without this ring the height of the frame would need to be very high to achieve the necessary
braiding angle when using the natural braiding point. The use of aluminum extrusions with t-slots
makes it easy to attach parts and covers to the frame. Since manufacturing of OmniFibre is for
research related testing, the ability to braid different braid patterns is an important factor for the
machine’s configuration, which is further explained in section 4.2 Machine configurations.
8.2 Proposed design

The proposed design as presented in section 5 Proposed design is in large the result of information
gathered trough literature studies, empirical data that defines the requirements of the machine,
and the manufacturability regarding available manufacturing methods. All these methods
together aim to answer research question 2. The proposed design is, when completed, a semi-
functioning (missing a take-off mechanism) smaller scale prototype which ultimate purpose is to
validate the functionality and conformity to the machine requirements before final
manufacturing of the full-scale machine. The design of nearly all parts of the machine is directly
influenced by much of the theory presented in section 2 Theory. Although OmniFibre places
certain requirements on the machine, the main function and mechanical aspects are very much
alike previously established designs for braiding machines. This makes it so that even though the
proposed design is intended for OmniFibre it is very much applicable to all similar applications of
ultra-fine braiding and very much relates to existing technology.
One of the major design decisions that related to the intended use for Omnifibre was the choice
between a maypole style machine or a Wardwell style machine. A maypole style machine was
chosen for the application of OmniFibre because it allows for much more flexibility with the
73
possibly to change carrier design for different materials and change carrier arrangements to
achieve different braid patterns. Additionally, the simple design of the maypole style machine
and general popularity in the braiding industry are desirable aspects of the machine as it may
ease potential future research and alterations. A downside of using a maypole machine is the
lower braiding speeds, but this aspect was not considered important by the product recipient
since the machine is only used for research. The choice of carrier design is crucial to the function
of the machine and is very much dependent on the requirements for OmniFibre. For the proposed
design a lever balanced carrier was chosen as it is the most common style carrier for small thread
applications like OmniFibre. However, OmniFibre is experimental, and it is necessary to use
different material for the braids. Some of these materials such as metals and elastic filaments
require special considerations which may require different carrier designs. In the proposed carrier
design, attempts were made to accommodate different materials, but it is likely not possible to
create a carrier design that can handle all materials optimally. As a result, it was decided that the
machine should be designed with more carrier space than what was necessary for the proposed
design, as this would allow for more flexibility for future carrier designs that are optimized for
certain materials.
8.3 Manufacturing limitations

The limitations and adaptations needed in the design for manufacturing has affected all parts of
the machine. First and foremost, as explained in section 5 Proposed design the carrier has gone
through a lot of changes. The focus was on making it in fewer parts and fewer manufacturing
operations. Then make it smaller. One other example was when a 90-degree inner corner in the
guide track plate was needed, over milling had to be used. The mill’s maximum work area made
it impossible to make a guide track plate for a 32-thread machine in one part. That is one reason
why the protype is 8 horn gears and 16 threads. When making smaller 2D-parts the fastest way
was to use the waterjet. But the waterjet creates rougher edges than milling or turning. So that
had to be considered when adapting the design. Also, smaller holes needed to be drilled using
the mill after the part had been cut out on the waterjet because the diameter of the hole was
incorrect. That also lead to the manufacturing of fixtures to hold the small parts that needed
drilling. Manufacturing considerations such as those mention here have been a core aspect
throughout this project and through the constant need for these consideration during prototype
manufacturing it has been possible to answer research question 3.
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9 Discussion
In this chapter the result of the project are reflected upon, and the methods used are discussed
where different aspects of the methods are assessed.
9.1 Reflections
The manufactured parts of the proposed smaller prototype have been assembled and tested.
They have shown that the proposed design is capable of braiding a simple braided feature. Many
parts have been manufactured and modified along the manufacturing process to be more
manufacturable. However, not all parts have been manufactured within the time of this thesis
work, so that the smaller prototype is not finished. The manufacturing limitations are now well
known; we therefore believe that it is possible to manufacture the remaining parts of the
prototype. How the prototype would perform and live up to the product requirements is more of
a speculative nature since the prototype is not completely manufactured and tested. The carrier
type and function has gone through some basic testing, and it looks promising but there is a lot
more testing needed to be done with 16 carriers and a take-off mechanism. The carrier design
needs to be tweaked so that it can consistently provide smooth tension on the thread. Then the
take-off mechanism design needs to be completed, manufactured, and tested. The horn gear and
track were tested in the form of printed prototype and later in the metal prototype. Another type
of carrier should also work fine, but the lever type was recommended for ultrafine threads,
although exactly why that is so was not mentioned in (Kyosev, 2014) and we weren’t able to find
an answer from other sources either.
9.2 Method discussion

In this study the specific requirements for a braiding machine capable of braiding OmniFibre have
been investigated. Primarily, interviews have been conducted for data collection. Data from the
interviews was analyzed and ultimately led to the product requirements in Table 6. The product
requirements are the basis for what is required of a braiding machine made to produce
OmniFibre. One downside with this approach is that only 2 people have been interviewed, namely
the product recipient and a manufacturing specialist. The obtained product requirements
therefore have been very influenced by these two people’s opinions. Unfortunately, OmniFibre is
a niche application and very few people are available to interview.
75
With the help of TexMind braiding machine configurator software, different configurations of
braiding machines could be simulated, compared, and the braids could be evaluated. The focus
of the simulation was on changing the number of horn gears and horn gear slots for comparison
and analysis of the results. The most suitable configuration for OmniFibre production could then
be chosen. The TexMind software gives the user a very powerful tool, but the produced 3D-
illustrations are not a good representation of a real-world braid pattern. To simulate a real
physical braid, large amounts of processing power and more advanced software would be
needed. However, the produced 3D-illustrations are still good enough for understanding how the
braiding machine configurations affect the braid patterns. One variable that was not fully
understood was floating length. In the 3D-illustration the effect of floating length was very
noticeable, but how it will affect a braid in real life was very uncertain. It is completely possible
that a machine configuration that would produce a braid pattern with a high floating length would
work for OmniFibre production. At any case, high floating length configurations were rejected
because of the uncertainty of the variables effect on a real-life braid.
Design choices and manufacturability are a part of the iterative design process. Machine parts
have been designed, discussed with the manufacturing specialist, manufactured and tested for
function. This process is non-linear and constantly adapting to the discovered issues. But it has
led to a good, proposed design that has proven to be manufacturable. The proposed design is
more of an industrial machine that with some testing and tweaking could be manufactured and
used for OmniFibre in a future project. One aspect of the iterative design process is that it can be
a bit confusing when jumping between different issues and difficult to know what should be
prioritized in a specific moment. But overall, it is a very good method that is fast to address an
issue and gives a lot of flexibility.
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10 Conclusion
The conclusion from the product requirement is that braiding Omnifibre very much resembles
braiding other ultrafine threads, but for the current research applications, flexibility is required
when it comes to material of the threads and different braiding patterns. The Omnifibre
application also demands unusually low braiding angles. The gathered product requirements
were measurable and thus could be used when testing the machines’ performance. The iterative
design process and simulations using TexMind BMC helped to answer the second question of the
design requirements. The simulations gave good answers on the number of horn gears and horn
gear slots that were necessary in the design process to meet the product requirements. The
iterative process affected all parts in the design. The proposed design was based on the well-
known and widely used braiding machine theory but for a definitive answer on the machine
functionality a real prototype was needed. Although extensive testing of some subsystems has
been conducted, it is still fair to say that only when a fully functioning prototype including all
subsystems is built and tested the product requirements can be determine as correct and
comprehensive. As for manufacturing, the considerations were thoroughly answered through the
iterative design process and the result of this could be seen in both Proposed Design and
Manufacturing chapters. Several parts were designed and redesigned for better
manufacturability.
The objective of this work is to design, develop and propose a manufacturable design of a braiding
machine capable of braiding polymer microfilament around elastomeric microtubing to produce
fluid elastomeric actuators. The thesis work has resulted in a proposed design and partially
completed prototype that the authors believe is a good contender for a future full scale braiding
machine that can be used for the desired application. It can therefore be said that the objective
of this works has been achieved to the extent of the currently designed, manufactured, and tested
subsystems of the braiding machine, but not yet for remaining subsystems such as the take-off
system, or for the complete functionally of the braiding machine in its entirety.
10.1 Future work

It is strongly recommended to complete manufacturing of the proposed design and then to test
the assembled machine to see how well it will live up to the product requirements. The functional
prototype can then be used as a testing platform for part redesign until the machine is deemed
highly functional and ready to be scaled up to the intended final 32 carrier machine. This could
ultimately lead to a functional industrial quality braiding machine that can be used for OmniFibre
production for beyond research purposes. Although this work has confirmed the
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manufacturability of nearly all designed parts, there will always be room for improvements and
optimizations. Some larger volume parts can benefit from further optimization using more
advanced fixturing and better tooling for faster production rates. The proposed design includes
most of the core functionality of the machine but is not yet a complete design, drive systems such
as the drive motor and take-off mechanism need further work and eventually an electronic
control system, machine enclosure, user interface and safety systems will be needed. The
proposed carrier design has gone through basic testing but are likely in need of more
optimizations, it is also likely that completely different carrier design may be necessary to fulfill
the product requirement of being able to braid a wide range of materials. Ultimately, a highly
adaptive carrier design is not a simple task and can very well be an entire project by itself.
78
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Design of A Braiding Machine

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Design of A Braiding Machine

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Upps al a U niversity log oty pe

Degree project 15 credits

Design of a braiding machine

Andreas Rishaug & Joakim Sandberg

Bachelor’s Programme in Mechanical Engineering

Design of a braiding machine

Faculty of Science and Technology

Supervisor: Özgun Kilic Asfar Subject reader: Hugo Nguyen

Figure 9 Track of the carrier (Kyosev, 2014) .................................................................................... 8

Figure 35 Plate Spacer with threads .............................................................................................. 38

Figure 60. Initial design for spool clamp........................................................................................ 50

1.2 Assignment description

1.4 Research Questions

Figure 1. An example of Ominfibre

Figure 2. Braid angle

2.2.1 Tubular braiding

Figure 4. Biaxial and triaxial

2.3 Maypole style tubular braiding machine

Figure 6 Herzog rope braiding machine SENG

Figure 9 Track of the carrier (Kyosev, 2014)

Figure 10 . Closeup of guide track (Kyosev, 2014)

2.3.4 Tensioning system

Tensioning and length compensation

2.4 Braiding machine configurations and braid structure

2.4.1 TexMind Computer Controlled Braiding Machines Configurator

2.4.2 Carrier arrangement repeat

2.4.3 Floating length

2.4.4 Braiding point

Equation 1. Equation defining braiding angle α for a

2.5 CNC enabled manufacturing

2.5.1 Computer aided manufacturing (CAM)

2.5.2 Milling & Lathe Turning

2.5.3 Waterjet cutting

Figure 16 Waterjet cutting (aquawaterjetcutting,

3.1 Planned flow of study

Figure 17 Planned flow of study

3.2 Data Collection method

3.2.1 Literature study

3.2.3 Simulations of machine configurations

3.2.4 Size estimations

3.2.5 Brainstorming & Iterative design process

3.3 Data analysis

3.4 Validity and reliability

3.5 Ethical stance

4.1 Product requirements

From Importance (1-5

4.2.1 Possible configurations for 32 carrier machines

4.2.2 Machine configuration using 16 horn gears with 4 slots each

Figure 18 .16 Horn gears with 4 slots

By changing the carrier

4.3 Size limitations

4.3.1 16 Horn gears with 4 slots and 68mm drive gears

Figure 29. Sketch showing size limitations for a 16-gear

Figure 30. Sketch showing size limitation for a 16-gear

4.4 Final machine configuration

4.5 First printed model

Figure 31 First 3d-printed model

5.1 Base assembly