US 6,186,769 B1Granted

Resin and fiber compounding apparatus for molding operations

AssigneeWoodshed Technologies, Inc.

InventorRonald C. Hawley

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Abstract

Molding material consisting of resin coated reinforcing fibers in a molten mass of resin and fibers is prepared at a molding site for controlled supply to a molding machine. A conveying device, such as a pair of pinch rollers, serves to pull fibers from supply spools through guide orifices of a coating die having a chamber within which the fiber is coated with molten resin. Further impregnation of the fibers with resin takes place in the conveying device, which also develops pressure on its output side serving to push the mass of hot resin and fiber into a receiving device for movement to a molding machine. The receiving device may be the feed screw for an injection molding machine or simply a plate movable to and from a compression molding machine. The fibers may be cut into predetermined lengths by a cutting device positioned downstream of the aforesaid conveying device.

Claims13

Dependent claims

Apparatus for coating fibers with a thermoplastic resin to form a molding material and feeding the molding material directly to a molding machine in a heated state comprising:

a supply of fiber strand;
a coating chamber formed within a housing having at least one inlet guide orifice to receive a fiber strand, a separate inlet for resin and at least one outlet orifice;
a supply source of molten thermoplastic resin in fluid flow communication with the resin inlet in the housing;
a conveying device having an input side in material flow communication with the outlet orifice of the coating chamber housing to receive coated fibers therefrom, and an output side, said conveying device having power driven elements constructed and arranged to engage fiber strand, pull it through the coating chamber and push it out the output side of the conveying device as a heated mass of fiber and resin;
and
a receiving device constructed and arranged to receive the heated mass of fiber and resin and deliver it to a molding machine positioned in immediate proximity to the receiving device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.