Method of manufacturing an assembly fixture and a composite product

A method of manufacturing a composite structure using an assembly fixture comprising a first plurality of strands of composite material, the method comprising:

• fastening a plurality of components of a composite structure in the assembly fixture using a fastening structure coupled to the assembly fixture, the assembly fixture having a first anisotropic thermal expansion property based on an orientation of a plurality of reinforcement fibers comprising the composite material;
• and
• heating the assembly fixture in an autoclave to bond the plurality of components of the composite structure;
• wherein the fastening structure comprises:
• a second plurality of strands of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material;
• and
• a second anisotropic thermal expansion property based on an orientation of the plurality of reinforcement fibers within fastening structure, wherein the second anisotropic thermal expansion property is different than the first anisotropic thermal expansion property.

A method, comprising:

• heating a composite material into a viscous form, wherein the composite material comprises a thermoplastic and a plurality of reinforcement fibers, wherein the plurality of reinforcement fibers is randomly arranged within the thermoplastic;
• extruding a first plurality of strands of the composite material, wherein extruding the first plurality of strands causes the plurality of reinforcement fibers within each strand to align;
• and
• arranging the first plurality of strands of the composite material to form an assembly fixture, wherein the assembly fixture comprises a first anisotropic thermal expansion property, and wherein the first anisotropic thermal expansion property is based on an orientation of the plurality of reinforcement fibers within the assembly fixture;
• fastening a plurality of components of a composite structure in the assembly fixture with a fastening structure attached to the assembly fixture;
• and
• heating the assembly fixture in an autoclave to bond the plurality of components of the composite structure;
• wherein the first anisotropic thermal expansion property of the assembly fixture comprises a coefficient of thermal expansion for a length dimension of the assembly fixture that is smaller than a coefficient of thermal expansion for a length dimension of the composite structure;
• and
• wherein the fastening structure comprises:
• a second plurality of strands of the fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material;
• and
• a second anisotropic thermal expansion property based on an orientation of the plurality of reinforcement fibers within the fastening structure, wherein the second anisotropic thermal expansion property is different than the first anisotropic thermal expansion property.