Sheet molding compound production method, carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus, and sheet molding compound production apparatus

A carbon fiber mat deposition apparatus comprising:

• a carrier film travel path;
• a continuous carbon fiber bundle, the continuous carbon fiber bundle is arranged in X, Y and Z directions, wherein the Z direction is a thickness direction of the continuous carbon fiber bundle,
• a chopper arranged above the travel path to chop the continuous carbon fiber bundle;
• a fragmentation-processing apparatus arranged between the chopper and the travel path, wherein the fragmentation processing apparatus splits the chopped carbon fiber bundles and deposit a carbon fiber mat on the carrier film;
• and
• a lower partition by which a space between the fragmentation-processing apparatus and the travel path is partitioned along a T direction,
• wherein, when a direction of the carrier film being horizontal and being perpendicular to the travel path is the T direction, the chopper comprises a cutter roll having a rotation axis parallel to the T direction, and,
• the lower partition comprises a flat plate and, in at least a part of the lower partition, a thickness direction of the flat plate is inclined from the T direction, a normal line of the lower partition being inclined from the T direction in a horizontal plane.