Methods and systems for manufacturing composite parts with female tools

A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced resin part, the method comprising:

• positioning a plurality of fibers on a mold surface of a female tool, the mold surface including a first side region, a second side region, and an interior transition region positioned between the first and second side regions;
• covering the fibers with a sealing layer;
• compressing a first portion of the fibers against the first side region of the mold surface with a first portion of a tooling aid without compressing a second portion of the fibers against the second side region of the mold surface;
• while compressing the first portion of fibers against the first side region of the mold surface, inflating an expandable member between a second portion of the tooling aid and the sealing layer to compress a third portion of the fibers between the expandable member and the interior transition region of the mold surface without compressing the second portion of fibers against the second side region of the mold surface;
• allowing the uncompressed second portion of fibers on the second side region to move toward the interior transition region as the third portion of fibers is compressed between the expandable member and the interior transition region;
• and
• while the expandable member is inflated, removing air from between the sealing layer and the mold surface to at least partially draw a vacuum between the sealing layer and the mold surface.

A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced resin part, the method comprising:

• positioning a plurality of fibers on a mold surface of a tool, the mold surface including a first, second, and third side regions and first and second interior transition regions, wherein the first interior transition region is positioned between the first and second side regions, and the second interior transition region is positioned between the first and third side regions;
• covering the fibers with a sealing layer;
• pressing a first portion of the covered fibers against the first side region of the mold surface with a tooling aid;
• while pressing the first portion of covered fibers against the first side region, moving a first pressing device toward the first interior transition region of the mold surface by inflating a first expandable member against the sealing layer and pressing a second portion of the covered fibers against the first interior transition region without pressing a third portion of the covered fibers against the second side region of the mold surface;
• while pressing the first portion of covered fibers against the first side region, moving a second pressing device toward the second transition region of the mold surface by inflating a second expandable member against the sealing layer and pressing a fourth portion of the covered fibers against the second interior transition region without pressing a fifth portion of the covered fibers against the third side region of the mold surface, wherein the first and second pressing devices are operably coupled to the tooling aid;
• while pressing the first, second, and fourth portions of covered fibers, allowing the third portion of covered fibers on the second side region to move toward the first interior transition region, and allowing the fifth portion of covered fibers on the third side region to move toward the second interior transition region;
• and
• removing air from between the sealing layer and the mold surface to draw at least a partial vacuum between the sealing layer and the mold surface.