Rapid heat cycle molding
AssigneeArris Composites Inc.
InventorsErick DAVIDSON, Ethan ESCOWITZ, Arnaud DYEN, Christopher BENDER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for rapid heat cycle compression molding comprises placing an assemblage of feed constituents in a mold, placing the mold between two hot platens of a hot press, heating the mold by pressing the two hot platens against the mold, placing the mold between two cold platens of a cold press, cooling the mold by pressing the two cold platens against the mold, and ejecting the part from the mold.
Claims23
A rapid heat cycle compression molding method for forming a composite part, the method comprising:
- a) positioning, at a first heating station, a mold containing of an assemblage of feed constituents, the first heating station having a first hot press including two platens, wherein the platens have a temperature that is above a processing temperature of a resin in the feed constituents;
- b) heating the mold by applying pressure to the mold by pressing the platens of the first hot press against the mold;
- c) transferring the mold to a first cooling station, the first cooling station having a first cold press including two platens, wherein the platens have a first temperature that is below the processing temperature of the resin;
- d) cooling the mold by applying pressure to the mold by pressing the platens of the first cold press against the mold, wherein the applied pressure is sufficient to fully consolidate the feed constituents, forming a composite part;
- and
- e) ejecting the composite part when the mold reaches an ejection temperature.
A rapid heat cycle compression molding method for forming a composite part, the method comprising:
- (a) heating, in a first hot press having two heated platens, a mold containing an assemblage of feed constituents, wherein the mold is maintained under a first pressure;
- (b) transferring the mold to a second hot press having two heated platens, wherein pressure is increased from the first pressure to a second pressure that is greater than the first pressure;
- (c) transferring the mold, after a temperature of the mold exceeds a processing temperature, to a first cold press having two cooled platens, wherein pressure is maintained in the first cold press at a third pressure that is at least as high as the second pressure, and wherein the third pressure is sufficient to consolidate the assemblage of feed constituents;
- (d) cooling the mold by applying pressure to the mold by pressing the cooled platens against the mold, forming the composite part;
- and
- (e) ejecting the composite part when the mold reaches an ejection temperature.
A rapid heat cycle compression molding method for forming a composite part, the method comprising:
- a) positioning, at a hot press, a mold containing of an assemblage of feed constituents, the hot press including two first platens and two second platens, wherein the two first platens of the hot press are not heated, and the two second platens of the hot press are heated;
- b) heating and pressurizing the mold in the hot press by:
- (i) pressing the first platens of the hot press against first and second surfaces of the mold, and
- (ii) pressing the second platens of the hot press against third and fourth surfaces of the mold;
- c) transferring the mold to a first cold press having two first platens and two second platens;
- d) cooling and pressurizing the mold in the cold press to form the composite part by:
- (i) pressing the first platens of the cold press against the first and second surfaces of the mold, and
- (ii) pressing the second platens of the cold press against the third and fourth surfaces of the mold;
- and
- e) ejecting the composite part when the mold reaches an ejection temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.