Methods and systems for making reinforced thermoplastic composites, and the products

A method of making a reinforced thermoplastic composite product comprising:

• forming and attenuating molten glass into glass fibers from a fiberizing bushing;
• coating the glass fibers with an aqueous sizing composition comprising one or more activator compounds to form sized glass fibers;
• drying the sized glass fibers to form dried glass fibers;
• preparing a resin mixture containing one or more thermoplastic precursor monomers and one or more catalyst compounds, the catalyst compound(s) causing polymerization of the monomer(s) when brought into contact with the dried glass fibers, the one or more activator compounds being materials that will react with the one or more thermoplastic precursor monomers to cause polymerization of the monomers in a temperature range of about 140 to about 200 degrees C. to produce a thermoplastic matrix around glass fibers,
• heating at least one of the dried glass fibers or the resin mixture, wherein:
• heating the dried glass fibers comprises heating the dried glass fibers to a temperature of at least about 100 degrees C., or
• heating the resin mixture comprises heating the resin mixture to a temperature of at least about 100 degrees C.;
• impregnating the dried glass fibers with the resin mixture to form an amalgam of glass fibers and resin mixture prior to contacting a mold element followed by bringing the impregnated glass fibers into contact with the mold element, or alternatively impregnating the dried glass fibers with the resin mixture while the resin mixture is in the mold element, to form a desired shape of impregnated glass fibers, and
• heating the amalgam to a temperature in a range of about 140 to about 190 degrees C. until at least about 90 percent of the monomer(s) have polymerized to one or more thermoplastic polymers.