Device for in-line consolidation of composite materials
AssigneeHRL Laboratories, LLC
InventorsJacob M. Hundley, Eric C. Clough, Zak C. Eckel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for fabricating composite parts efficiently. Pre-impregnated (prepreg) composite material is drawn as a sheet from a roll and fed by advancement rollers into a stamping and molding station in which a piece of the prepreg material is cut, on a mold, from the sheet. Pressure is applied to cause the prepreg material to conform to a surface of the mold, and the prepreg is cured with ultraviolet light. Additional layers of prepreg may be cut and cured on any layers that have already been cured on the mold. The complete part may be removed from the mold with ejector pins. Scrap prepreg may be recycled in a recycling station that separates reinforcing fiber from uncured resin.
Claims18
A method for fabricating a composite part, the method comprising:
- positioning a sheet of pre-impregnated thermosetting polymer matrix composite material (prepreg) for molding by a mold by advancing the sheet of prepreg by a plurality of rollers;
- cutting a piece of prepreg from the sheet, the cutting being performed while the sheet of prepreg is over the mold;
- and
- applying pressure to the piece of prepreg, the pressure being sufficient to cause the piece of prepreg to conform to a surface of the mold,
- wherein the rollers are further configured to maintain tension on the sheet of prepreg during the cutting the piece of prepreg from the sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.