Method of forming a sporting implement
AssigneeBauer Hockey, LLC
InventorsMathieu Ducharme, Jean-Frédérik Caron Kardos, Martin Chambert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a sporting implement includes placing a plurality of fibers in a cavity formed in a first portion of a mold, the mold having an inlet and an outlet. A second portion of the mold is positioned in contact with the first portion such that the cavity cooperates with the second portion of the mold to define a chamber. A first material is mixed with a second material to form a thermoplastic resin. The thermoplastic resin is injected into the chamber through the inlet. The inlet and outlet are closed, and the thermoplastic resin completely polymerizes so as to form a fiber reinforced sporting element in the chamber, and the sporting element is removed from the chamber.
Claims18
A method of forming a sporting implement comprising:
- pulling a plurality of bundles of fiberglass or carbon fibers from a plurality of spools and a first mat of fibers from a first spool positioned above the bundles and a second mat of fibers from a second spool positioned below the bundles to form a precursor;
- pulling the precursor through a guide of a pultrusion device, the guide having a predetermined profile which forms the precursor with a closed and hollow cross-section;
- pulling the precursor through a resin impregnator in which resin is injected into the precursor at a first temperature;
- pulling the precursor through a preformer;
- pulling the precursor through a heated die at a second temperature higher than the first temperature, the heated die curing the precursor so as to form a continuous linear member;
- and
- cutting the continuous linear member into a sporting element having a predetermined length.
A method of forming a sporting implement comprising:
- pulling a plurality of bundles of fiberglass or carbon fibers from a plurality of spools and a first mat of fibers from a first spool positioned above the bundles and a second mat of fibers from a second spool positioned below the bundles to form a precursor;
- pulling the precursor through a guide of a pultrusion device, the guide having a predetermined profile which forms the precursor with a closed and hollow cross-section;
- pulling the precursor through a resin impregnator in which resin is injected into the precursor at a first temperature;
- pulling the precursor through a heated die wherein a first portion of the heated die is heated to a second temperature higher than the first temperature, a second portion of the heated die positioned downstream of the first portion is heated to a third temperature higher than the second temperature, and a third portion of the heated die positioned downstream of the second portion is heated to a fourth temperature higher than the third temperature, the heated die curing the precursor so as to form a continuous linear member;
- and
- cutting the continuous linear member into a sporting element having a predetermined length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.