Composite material, method for manufacturing a product made of a composite material, and machine for manufacturing a product made of a composite material
AssigneeStoropack Hans Reichenecker GmbH
InventorsAnthony Mahé, Charles Poisson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite material, comprising a first component and a second component, the first component forming a three-dimensional mesh-type structure and the second component forming a matrix at least regionally filling the interstices between the first component, wherein the second component at least partially comprises an expanded material.
Claims15
A composite material, comprising a first component and a second component, the first component forming a three-dimensional mesh-type structure and the second component forming a matrix at least regionally filling the interstices between the first component, wherein the second component at least partially comprises an expanded material, preferably an expanded foam.
A method for manufacturing a product made of a composite material comprising the following steps:
- a. providing a blend of at least a fibrous material and an expandable material;
- b. placing the blend into a mold cavity;
- c. applying energy, preferably heat to the blend within the mold cavity;
- d. keeping the mold cavity open at a certain and limited extent or increasing the volume of the mold cavity to a certain and limited extent, such that the heated expandable material can expand, the certain and limited extent being selected such that the expandable material does not fully expand;
- e. keeping the mold cavity essentially in the state where the volume is increased to the first extent until the material inside the mold cavity has stabilized.
A machine for manufacturing a product made of a composite material comprising:
- a mold cavity for receiving a blend of at least a fibrous material and an expandable material;
- a device for applying energy, preferably heat, to the blend within the mold cavity;
- means for keeping the mold cavity open at a certain and limited extent or for increasing the volume of the mold cavity to a certain and limited extent such that the expandable material can expand, the first extent being selectable such that the expandable material does not fully expand;
- means for keeping the mold cavity essentially in the state where the volume is increased to the first extent until the material inside the mold cavity has stabilized.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.