Method of curing thermoset resin with visible light
AssigneeFox Lite, Inc.
InventorsWalter S. Hoy, W. Douglas Hoy
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A transparent mold system (TMS) allows rapid and economical production of thermoset fiber reinforced plastics (FRP) and other thermoset resin parts by heating with visible light energy without using an autoclave, photosensitive resins, or ultraviolet (U.V.) sensitive chemical curing agents. Molding times are accelerated to minutes instead of hours, and the molds are made of transparent plastics materials that can be economically produced by injection, casting, vacuum or pressure forming to replace metal molds and laid-up FRP molds.
Claims14
A method of molding an opaque article from a non-photosensitive heat-curable thermoset plastics resin having a dark heat-absorbing color, comprising the steps of inserting the resin within a cavity of a mold having a substantially transparent wall portion formed of a material substantially transparent to visible light, closing the mold to confine the non-photosensitive dark color resin within the cavity, heating the resin without substantially heating the transparent mold wall portion by directing visible light energy into the resin through the transparent wall portion for absorption by the dark color resin, and controlling the amount of the visible light energy directed through the transparent wall portion according to the temperature required for heat-curing the non-photosensitive resin.
A method of molding an opaque article from a non-photosensitive heat-curable thermoset plastics resin having a dark heat-absorbing color, comprising the steps of inserting the resin within a cavity of a mold having a substantially transparent wall portion formed of a material substantially transparent to visible light, closing the mold to confine the non-photosensitive dark color resin within the cavity, heating the resin without substantially heating the transparent wall portion by directing through the wall portion into the resin visible light energy, sensing the temperature of the dark color resin while the resin is being heat cured, and controlling the amount of visible light energy directed through the transparent wall portion into the dark color non-photosensitive resin in response to the temperature of the resin being sensed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.