# US 2018/0079879 A1 · Fiber-reinforced plastic molding material, method for producing same, and molded article > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0079879 A1 - Document ID: US20180079879A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/558,947 - Filed: 2016-03-22 - Published: 2018-03-22 - Earliest claimed: 2015-03-26 - Assignees: Nippon Steel & Sumikin Chemical Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Nippon Steel & Sumikin Chemical Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Akihisa Otsuki; Hiroyuki Takahashi; Hideki Andoh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180079879A1 ## CPC - B05D 1/007: {using an electrostatic field (B05D1/02 - B05D1/16 take precedence)} - B29C 43/02: of articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles {(B29C35/0227 takes precedence)} - B29C 43/52: Heating or cooling - C08J 3/12: Powdering or granulating - C08J 3/122: {Pulverisation by spraying} - C08J 5/243: {using carbon fibres} - C08J 5/244: {using glass fibres} - C08J 5/246: {using polymer based synthetic fibres} - C08J 2361/06: of aldehydes with phenols - C08J 2363/00: Characterised by the use of epoxy resins; Derivatives of epoxy resins - C08J 2371/12: Polyphenylene oxides - C08J 2373/02: Polyanhydrides - C08J 2463/00: Characterised by the use of epoxy resins; Derivatives of epoxy resins - B05D: PROCESSES FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (conveying articles or workpieces through baths of liquid B65G, e.g. B65G49/02) - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - C08J: WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H (working, e.g. shaping, of plastics B29) ## Abstract Provided are an fiber-reinforced plastic molding material having a satisfactory handling property, long storage stability, and high moldability enabling shaping into even a complicated shape, and a molded article thereof having excellent heat resistance, mechanical strength, and a method of producing the same. The fiber-reinforced plastic molding material includes a matrix resin containing, as an essential component, a phenoxy resin being solid at ordinary temperature and having a melt viscosity of 3,000 Pa·s or less at anywhere in the temperature region of from 160° C. to 220° C., with an epoxy resin and a cross-linking agent being blended as desired, in which the matrix resin is turned into fine powder having an average particle diameter (d50) of from 10 μm to 150 μm, and the matrix resin is caused to adhere to a reinforcing fiber base material by powder coating so as to achieve a resin content of from 20% to 50%. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material, comprising: a matrix resin containing 50 wt % or more of a phenoxy resin being solid at ordinary temperature and having a melt viscosity of 3,000 Pa·s or less at anywhere in a temperature region of from 160° C. to 220° C. with respect to all resin components, the matrix resin having an average particle diameter (d50) of from 10 μm to 150 μm; and a reinforcing fiber base material to which fine powder of the matrix resin is caused to adhere by a powder coating method, wherein a content of the matrix resin is from 20 wt % to 50 wt %. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 1, wherein the phenoxy resin has a mass-average molecular weight of from 20,000 to 100,000. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 1, wherein the phenoxy resin has a hydroxy group equivalent of from 50 g/eq to 750 g/eq. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 1, wherein the phenoxy resin has a glass transition temperature of from 65° C. to 160° C. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing fiber base material contains one kind or two or more kinds of fibers selected from the group consisting of carbon fiber, boron fiber, silicon carbide fiber, glass fiber, and aramid fiber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 1, wherein the matrix resin contains the phenoxy resin, an epoxy resin, and a cross-linking agent as essential components, the epoxy resin being blended in an amount of from 9 parts by weight to 85 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the phenoxy resin, and the matrix resin and the phenoxy resin both comprise a matrix resin being solid at ordinary temperature and having a melt viscosity of 3,000 Pa·s or less at anywhere in the temperature region of from 160° C. to 220° C. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 6, wherein the cross-linking agent (C) comprises an acid anhydride, and is blended so that an amount of an acid anhydride group falls within a range of from 0.5 mol to 1.3 mol with respect to 1 mol of a secondary hydroxy group of the phenoxy resin (A). ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) A fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 6, wherein powder of the phenoxy resin (A) and powder of the epoxy resin (B) each have an average particle diameter (d50) of from 10 μm to 150 μm, and from 1 to 2 times as large as an average particle diameter (d50) of powder of the cross-linking agent (C). ### Claim 9 A method of producing a fiber-reinforced plastic molding material, comprising: preparing a matrix resin containing 50 wt % or more of a phenoxy resin being solid at ordinary temperature and having a melt viscosity of 3,000 Pa·s or less at anywhere in a temperature region of from 160° C. to 220° C. with respect to all resin components; pulverizing the matrix resin to an average particle diameter (d50) of from 10 μm to 150 μm; and causing the resultant fine powder of the matrix resin to adhere to a reinforcing fiber base material by a powder coating method so as to achieve a matrix resin content of from 20% to 50%. ### Claim 10 A method of producing a fiber-reinforced plastic molding material, comprising: preparing, as a raw material matrix resin, a matrix resin being solid at ordinary temperature and having a melt viscosity of 3,000 Pa·s or less at anywhere in a temperature region of a temperature range of from 160° C. to 220° C., the matrix resin containing a phenoxy resin, an epoxy resin, and a cross-linking agent as essential components and containing 9 parts by weight to 85 parts by weight of the epoxy resin with respect to 100 parts by weight of the phenoxy resin; pulverizing the matrix resin to an average particle diameter (d50) of from 10 μm to 150 μm; and causing the resultant fine powder of the matrix resin to adhere to a reinforcing fiber base material by a powder coating method so as to achieve a matrix resin content in a range of from 20% to 50%. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method of producing a fiber-reinforced plastic molding material according to claim 10, wherein the powder coating method comprises a powder coating method utilizing an electrostatic field. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A phenoxy resin powder for producing the fiber-reinforced plastic molding material of claim 1, the phenoxy resin powder having a melt viscosity of 3,000 Pa·s or less at anywhere in a temperature region of from 160° C. to 220° C. and having an average particle diameter (d50) of from 10 μm to 150 μm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) A fiber-reinforced plastic molded article, which is obtained by molding or curing the fiber-reinforced plastic molding material of any one of claims 1 to 8 by heating and compression. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A fiber-reinforced plastic molded article according to claim 13, wherein a matrix resin in the fiber-reinforced plastic molded article comprises a cured resin, the cured resin having a glass transition temperature of 160° C. or more.