Method of manufacturing three-dimensional parts using sheets of thermoplastic resin high-performance fiber-reinforced composite material and apparatus therefor
AssigneeSumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.
InventorsToshihiro Tanaka, Yuji Chiba, Yuji Ashibe
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional parts using sheets of a thermoplastic resin high-performance fiber-reinforced composite material. The apparatus includes a sheet clamping device for clamping an end portion of the sheet and conveying the sheet to a heating/forming zone, a heater for heating the sheet to a predetermined temperature, upper and lower frames driven by cylinders for clamping the sheet and a male mold member for forming the three-dimensional part by deep drawing the clamped sheet inwardly through a stroke of the mold member.
Claims29
An apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional parts from sheets of a thermoplastic resin fiber-reinforced composite material, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) supply means for positioning the sheet of the fiber-reinforced composite material;
- (b) sheet clamping means for clamping an end portion of the sheet;
- (c) conveying means for conveying the clamped sheet into a heating and forming zone;
- (d) heating means for heating the sheet to a predetermined temperature;
- (e) upper and lower slides and power driving means for pressing said slides together and pulling said slides apart;
- (f) power driven upper and lower frames, mounted respectively on said upper and lower slides, for clamping the sheet around its periphery;
- (g) an elongated guide body pivotally secured at one end to one of said slides;
- (h) a fiber positioning pin, slidably mounted in said guide body, for piercing the sheet clamped between said frames to position the reinforcing fibers;
- (i) forming means including a male mold member for deep drawing the clamped sheet to the extent of a stroke of the male mold member;
- and
- (j) retaining force applying means for moving said fiber positioning pin, in the plane of said clamped sheet, toward the periphery of said sheet so that the deformation angle caused by a trellis effect remains within a predetermined angle range during forming, and returning means for retracting said fiber positioning pin to its original position;
- and
- (k) ejecting means for extracting the three-dimensional part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.