Method for manufacturing fiber-reinforced parts utilizing stereolithography tooling

• US 6,248,504 B1
• Filed: 02/22/1995
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Varian Medical Systems Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Elwell, Keith D., White, Gary L., Thomas, Stan W., Key, Roger D., Fluegel, Kyle G., Jackson, Willie K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hoa Van
• Application Number:
  US08/392,416
• Time in Patent Office: 2,309 Days
• Field of Search: 430/320, 430/322, 264/22, 264/219, 264/258, 156/272.8, 156/275.5
• US Class Current: 430/320
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3842 Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/822 Single use mandrels, e.g. destructible, becoming part of the wound articles B29C53/825 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/135 the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2063/00 Use of EP, i.e. epoxy resins or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/06 containing reinforcements, fillers or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G03C 5/00 Photographic processes or agents therefor; Regeneration of such processing agents multicolour processes or agents therefor G03C7/00; diffusion-transfer processes or agents therefor G03C8/00; stereo-photographic processes G03C9/00; photomechanical processes G03F
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/108 Flash, trim or excess removal

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional fiber-reinforced part utilizing the single-tool method of stereolithography. The tool is fabricated by designing the tool on a computer-aided design system and curing successive layers of a fluid medium via a computer-controlled irradiation source to form the three-dimensional tool. The desired part is generated by applying layers of resin-wetted fabric to the tool, curing the fabric on the tool, removing the tool from the designed part and cleaning, trimming and inspecting the designed part.

Claims

1. A method for producing a fiber-reinforced part utilizing stereolithography tooling, comprising the steps of:

preparing a design for the part utilizing a computer-aided design system;

stereolithographically fabricating a tool from the design;

applying resin-wetted fiber material to the tool;

curing the fiber material applied to the tool to form a fiber reinforced part; and

removing the fiber reinforced part from the tool.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of stereolithographically fabricating a tool from the design of the part includes the step of passing a computer guided irradiation source over a liquid medium having selective physical state transformation upon exposure to the irradiation source.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of passing a computer guided irradiation source over a liquid medium further comprises passing the irradiation source over a photopolymer that changes from a substantially liquid state to a substantially solid state upon exposure to the irradiation source.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of passing a computer guided irradiation source over a liquid medium further comprises passing the irradiation source over a photopolymer that changes from a substantially liquid state to a substantially brittle solid state upon exposure to the irradiation source.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of stereolithographically fabricating a tool from the design of the part includes the step of preparing the surface of the tool for the application of a fiber material.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of applying fiber material to the tool includes the step of applying multiple layers of a resin-wetted fiber material.

7. A method for producing a fiber-reinforced part utilizing stereolithography tooling, comprising the steps of:

preparing a design for the part utilizing a computer-aided design system;

stereolithographically fabricating a tool from the design by passing a computer guided irradiation source over a photopolymer that changes from a substantially liquid state to a substantially solid state upon exposure to the irradiation source;

preparing the surface of the tool for the application of a fiber material;

applying resin-wetted fiber material to the tool;

curing the fiber material applied to the tool to form a fiber reinforced part; and

removing the fiber reinforced part from the tool.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of passing a computer guided irradiation source over a liquid medium further comprises passing the irradiation source over a photopolymer that changes from a substantially liquid state to a substantially brittle solid state upon exposure to the irradiation source.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of applying fiber material to the tool includes the step of applying multiple layers of a resin-wetted fiber material.

10. A method for producing a fiber-reinforced part utilizing stereolithography tooling, comprising the steps of:

preparing a design for the part using a computer-aided design system;

creating multiple imaginary cross-sections of the part;

fabricating a tool from the design by passing a computer guided irradiation source over a photopolymer to solidify successive cross-sections of the tool;

lowering the solidified cross-sections of the tool from the surface of the photopolymer;

preparing the surface of the tool for application of a resin-wetted fiber material;

applying successive layers of the resin-wetted fiber material to the tool;

curing the fiber material applied to the tool to form a fiber reinforced part; and

removing the tool for final finishing of the part.