Apparatus and method for making fiber reinforced sheet molding compound

An apparatus for making fiber reinforced sheet molding compound from a plurality of continuous fiber rovings, the apparatus comprising:

• a conveyor belt assembly having a feed end and a transfer end and including:
• a belt having an outer surface and an inner surface, wherein the outer surface is configured to convey the fiber rovings to the transfer end;
• and
• a cutting support structure disposed between the feed end and the transfer end and including a substantially flat plate in contact with the inner surface;
• a cutting wheel having a perimeter surface including a plurality of spaced apart cutting blades, the cutting wheel configured for rotating about a transverse axis and disposed adjacent to the flat plate with the perimeter surface in contact with the outer surface, whereby rotation of the cutting wheel drives movement of the belt, wherein the cutting blades are substantially between 0 to 5 degrees offset from the transverse axis;
• and
• a feed tension roller disposed adjacent to the flat plate and between the feed end and the cutting wheel proximate the outer surface of the belt, the feed tension roller positions the fiber rovings directly onto the outer surface in a substantially parallel machine direction, wherein the feed tension roller, the cutting wheel and the belt cooperate to feed the fiber rovings to the cutting wheel at a feed rate, cut the fibers rovings into a plurality of parallel discontinuous fibers and convey the parallel discontinuous fibers to the transfer end at substantially the same rate as the feed rate.

A method for making fiber reinforced sheet molding compound from a plurality of continuous fiber rovings, the method comprising:

• feeding the fiber rovings to a rotating cutting wheel at a feed rate, wherein feeding the fiber rovings includes:
• guiding the fiber rovings to a feed tension member;
• wherein the feed tension member is disposed between a feed end of a conveyer belt and the cutting wheel;
• positioning the fiber rovings directly onto the conveyer belt in a substantially parallel machine direction;
• and
• conveying the parallel fiber rovings to the cutting wheel;
• cutting the parallel fiber rovings into a plurality of parallel discontinuous fibers on the conveyer belt;
• and
• conveying the parallel discontinuous fibers to a first release film at substantially the same rate as the feed rate.