Continuous molding of thermoplastic laminates

A method of fabricating a composite part, comprising:

• laying up a laminate, the laminate comprising multiple plies of thermoplastic material;
• consolidating entirety of the laminate to form a pre-consolidated laminate;
• placing the pre-consolidated laminate on a tooling surface;
• heating the pre-consolidated laminate to form a heated laminate, wherein the pre-consolidated laminate is heated to a preselected temperature below its melting point but sufficient to soften the pre-consolidated laminate for molding, wherein the heated laminate is formed;
• substantially continuously feeding the heated laminate between a mandrel and the tooling surface and through a forming zone comprising a plurality of sets of tool dies in a continuous compression molding machine, wherein different ones of the plurality of sets of tool dies comprises a pair of opposing, laterally movable die halves, wherein each pair of die halves have progressively different shapes relative to other pairs of die halves in other sets of tool dies of the plurality of tool dies;
• and
• using the plurality of sets of tool dies to incrementally mold features into sections of the heated laminate as the heated laminate is being fed through the forming zone by laterally moving, with respect to the mandrel and the tool base, the pairs of die halves of the plurality of sets of tool dies to compress lateral portions of the heated laminate, thereby respectively molding portions of the features into the heated laminate, and also including different ones of the plurality of sets of tool dies sequentially forcing a same portion of the heated laminate to incrementally fold over the mandrel as the heated laminate passes sequentially through the plurality of tool dies of the forming section, wherein a contoured laminate is formed.

A method for continuously producing an elongate part, comprising:

• feeding a laminate substantially continuously through a forming zone of a continuous compression molding machine, the laminate comprising a pre-consolidated, integrated thermoplastic composite material, the forming zone comprising a plurality of tool dies, wherein each set of tool dies comprises a pair of opposing, laterally movable die halves, wherein each pair of die halves has a progressively different shape relative to other pairs of die halves in other sets of tool dies of the plurality of tool dies;
• softening the laminate by heating the laminate to a temperature below its melting point;
• and
• molding cross sectional features into the laminate sequentially by laterally moving, with respect to the mandrel and the tool base, the pairs of die halves of the plurality of sets of tool dies in the continuous compression molding machine to compress lateral portions of the heated laminate being fed substantially continuously through internal portions of the plurality of tool dies of the forming zone of the continuous compression molding machine, including molding portions of the heated laminate by sequentially forcing a same portion of the heated laminate to incrementally fold around a mandrel to at least partially close the cross section of the heated laminate as the heated laminate passes sequentially through the plurality of tool dies of the forming section, wherein molding cross sectional features into the heated laminate forms a contoured laminate.

A method of fabricating an elongate composite part having a substantially closed cross sectional shape, comprising:

• feeding a heated laminate substantially continuously through a plurality of sets of tool dies comprising a forming zone, wherein each set of tool dies comprises a pair of opposing, laterally movable die halves, wherein each pair of die halves has a progressively different shape relative to other pairs of die halves in other sets of tool dies of the plurality of tool dies;
• and
• laterally moving, with respect to the mandrel and the tool base, the pairs of die halves of the plurality of sets of tool dies to incrementally fold the heated laminate over a mandrel as the heated laminate passes through the forming section to form the substantially closed cross sectional shape as the heated laminate is fed substantially continuously through the plurality of sets of tool dies, wherein different ones of the pairs of die halves of the plurality of sets of tool dies compress lateral portions of the heated laminate, thereby incrementally molding features into the heated laminate by sequentially forcing a same portion of the heated laminate to incrementally fold over the mandrel, wherein incrementally molding features comprises opening the plurality of sets of tool dies simultaneously and closing the plurality of sets of tools dies simultaneously, wherein a contoured laminate is formed.