Densification of formed composite parts

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for combining raw fibrous and binding materials in single mixing step (Step S3), followed by consolidation (Step S5) to greatly shorten overall cycle time to finished fiber-reinforced composite part. Chopped fibrous materials and binder materials are deposited sequentially onto belt conveyor (Step S2) so that materials are successively layered on top of one another in predetermined ratio and subsequently mixed (Step S3) to achieve uniform dispersion throughout. Mixed materials are deposited into rotating mold (Step S4), which further ensures uniform dispersion of fibrous and binder materials. Impregnation of fibrous materials with the binder material occurs in situ as uniformly mixed materials are heated and subsequently compacted in mold (Step S5) to obtain desired shape of fiber-reinforced composite part. Rotation device including: turntable for rotating mold; and actuator for supporting turntable and providing reciprocating motion to mold.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.