It is useful to change the starting positions to minimize the length of the connector paths.

This is done for highly

optimized windings.

Circumferential Winding - button

Whereas helical winding is typically lower than 54
degrees, circumferential or hoop winding is typically
done at an angle close to 90 degrees. Helical winding
always has two layers – a plus ply and a minus ply.
Circumferential winding can be a single ply of almost
90 degree winding.

ComposicaD specifies the hoop starting and ending

points parametrically – i.e. in relation to the cylinder
starting and ending point. The hoop starting and
ending points are then specified as an offset to the
cylinder starting and ending points. This is a key
feature that allows easy changes to the part geometry.
More on that later.

For hoop winding the key parameter is the band

advance. ComposicaD allows for several methods of
selecting the band advance. The simplest is to just use
the fiber band width by checking the Use Band Width
box. This lays each band beside the previous band. This works fine for small band widths relative to the
part diameter. If you are laying a wide tape then it is
better to use the Effective Band Advance which takes
into account the actual winding angle.

The band advance can also just be entered. This allows

for the option of overlapping the bands which is
sometimes used to achieve a specific thickness required.

Connector (or transition) Winding - button

The third type of winding is a connector or transition
winding. In aerospace or other high performance
windings, the fiber band is typically cut and restarted
between each kind of winding. In commercial winding it
is too time consuming to use this method, so a transition
path is used instead. It is normally used to connect
between the circumferential windings and the helical