Process for making a continuous structure of a composite material

A process for making a continuous structure of a composite material comprising the following steps:

• moving a continuous semifinished product (1) made of a reinforcing fiber along a predetermined working path, said continuous semifinished product (1) comprising an upper external layer (4) and a lower external layer (5) facing said upper external layer, the upper and the lower external layers being mutually connected by a plurality of intermediate threads (6);
• impregnating said continuous semifinished product (1) with a given resin at an impregnation station (7) disposed along said working path;
• moving one of said two layers (4,5) of continuous semifinished product (1) apart from the other facing layer to bring said intermediate threads (6) from one condition in which they are reclined and arranged substantially in parallel relationship with said two external layers (4,5), to a second condition in which they are disposed substantially perpendicular to the external layers;
• polymerizing the impregnated semifinished product (1) at a polymerization station (40), so as to achieve a continuous composite material structure (50);
• wherein before said impregnation step, an adjustment step for putting the two layers of said continuous semifinished product (1) in register is carried out at an adjustment and control station (14) in which the position of said external layers is verified;
• said adjustment step comprising the following sub-steps:
• detecting reference marks (17) associated with the upper external layer (4) and lower external layer (5) of said semifinished product (1), by detection means (16) operating above and under said continuous semifinished product (1), said detection means (16) sending corresponding signals to a processing unit (15) following passage of said reference marks (17);
• aligning the reference marks (17) associated with the upper external layer (4) with the reference marks (17) associated with the lower external layer (5) by first grasping and advancement means (18) operating at either side of said semifinished product (1) and controlled by said processing unit (15).