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US 2014/0232042 A1Published application
Method and Apparatus for Fabricating Composite Fasteners
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsAaron William Bartel, Nathan A. Muntz
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Abstract
Composite fasteners have a high fraction of discontinuous, randomly oriented reinforcing fibers. A charge of thermoplastic fiber flakes are heated to melting temperature within a reservoir, flowed into multiple mold cavities and compression molded. The molded fasteners have high strength, exhibit quasi-isotropic properties and may be produced in high volume.
Claims21
A method of producing a composite fastener, comprising:
- introducing thermoplastic resin infused fiber flakes into a reservoir;
- heating the infused fiber flakes in the reservoir to the melting temperature of the thermoplastic resin, resulting in a mixture of melted thermoplastic resin and fiber flakes;
- and,
- flowing the mixture of the melted thermoplastic resin and fiber flakes into a mold having the shape of the fastener.
1 more element
A method of producing fiber reinforced thermoplastic fasteners, comprising:
- producing thermoplastic resin infused fiber flakes;
- placing a charge of the infused fiber flakes into a reservoir;
- heating the infused fiber flakes within the reservoir until resin in the infused fiber flakes melt and become a flowable mixture of thermoplastic resin and fibers;
- flowing the flowable mixture from the reservoir into each of a plurality of mold cavities in a mold, each of the mold cavities having the shape of a fastener;
- and,
- compression molding the flowable mixture into a plurality of fasteners.
3 more elements
Apparatus for producing a plurality of composite fasteners, comprising:
- a mold having a plurality of mold cavities respectively defining fasteners;
- and,
- a reservoir for containing thermoplastic infused fiber flakes, the reservoir being coupled with the mold cavities and adapted to be heated to melt the thermoplastic infused fiber flakes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.