Method and apparatus for making preforms from glass fiber strand material
AssigneeO-C Fiberglas Sweden AB
InventorsGoran K. Knutsson, Bengt G. Nilsson, Lennart Svensson
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for forming a preform from glass fiber strand material. The preform is formed by feeding continuous glass fiber strand material into a mold to form a continuous wool product in the mold; feeding a binder into the mold; compressing the mold to compact the wool product to a desired density; and heating the mold to cure the binder, such that a preform is formed having generally the shape of the compressed mold. The mold is then opened and the preform is removed from the mold.
Claims20
A method for forming a preform from continuous glass fiber strand material comprising the steps of:
- feeding continuous glass fiber strand material into a perforated mold to form a wool product in the mold;
- feeding a binder into the mold;
- curing the binder to bond together portions of the strand material forming the wool product, such that a preform is formed having generally the shape of the mold;
- opening the mold;
- and
- removing the preform from the mold.
A method for forming a preform for use in an engine exhaust muffler comprising the steps of:
- feeding continuous length glass fiber strand material into a perforated mold to form a wool product in the mold;
- feeding a binder into the mold;
- feeding water into the mold;
- compressing the mold to compact the wool product to form a preform having a desired density and generally having the shape of at least a portion of an engine exhaust muffler;
- circulating hot air through the mold to cure the binder;
- opening the mold;
- and
- removing the preform from the mold.
An apparatus for forming a glass fiber preform comprising:
- a perforated preform mold;
- a filling station at which the mold is filled with a binder and continuous glass fiber strand material to form a wool product in the mold;
- a compressing station at which the mold is compressed to compact the wool product to a desired density;
- a curing station at which the mold is heated to cure the binder to bond together portions of the strand material forming the wool product, such that a preform is formed having generally the shape of the compressed mold;
- and
- a removal station at which the mold is opened and the preform is removed from the mold.
A method for forming a preform from glass fiber strand material comprising the steps of:
- feeding glass fiber strand material into a mold to form a wool product in the mold;
- feeding a binder into the mold;
- curing the binder to bond together portions of the strand material forming the wool product, such that a preform is formed having generally the shape of the mold;
- opening the mold;
- and
- removing the preform from the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.