Abstract: Compared with the traditional composite fabricating method, the prepreg tape winding technology has developed into an important manufacturing method for cylindrical components by virtue of its unique manufacturing characteristics. During the winding process, the residual stress is inevitably caused by the coupling effect of process parameters. Then, a variety of defects in product would be formed. Thus, the prepreg tape winding cylinder process was analyzed. Moreover, the winding tension, winding temperature and winding speed were selected as the parameter variables, and the Box-Behnken method was used to design the experiment. Meanwhile, the mapping model between residual stress and inputing parameters was established by adopting the quadratic polynomial regression model. Further, the reliability and validity of the model were verified by analysis of variance. In addition, the coupling influence of process parameter on residual stress was discussed. Finally, the response surface method is empolyed to obtain the optimal combination of process parameters. The experimental result implies that the minimum residual stress is 22.52 MPa and the predicted maximum error is 6% which meets the engineering requirements.