COMPOSITE MATERIAL LAY-UP APPARATUS

There is disclosed composite material lay-up equipment for applying a plurality of individual lengths of elongate fiber reinforcement material to an article, the equipment comprising: a support head; a cutting mechanism carried by the support head for severing a plurality of individual lengths of elongate fiber reinforcement material. The cutting mechanism comprises a plurality of cutting elements coupled to and moveable with respect to the support head and a cassette removably attached to the support head and having a plurality of corresponding counteracting elements statically mounted thereto. Each cutting element is displaceable relative to the corresponding counteracting element to perform a cutting stroke in which the respective cutting and counteracting elements cooperate to sever a length of elongate fiber reinforcement material extending through the nip formed between them.