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Systems and method for producing three-dimensional articles from flexible composite materials

  • US 9,993,978 B2
  • Filed: 07/02/2015
  • Issued: 06/12/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method of producing a cured part, said method comprising the steps of:

  • providing a male tool having a three-dimensional shape;

    creating a fiber-reinforced, uncured scrim by sticking together two unitape layers, each unitape layer comprising a single fiber-reinforced direction provided by monofilaments spread side-by-side and embedded in an elastic polymer adhesive resin, the two unitape layers having an intersecting relative orientation in the scrim whereby one unitape layer has a different fiber direction than the other unitape layer, and the elastic polymer allowing the uncured scrim to stretch in non-fiber reinforced bias directions not aligned with the fiber directions;

    stretching said fiber-reinforced uncured scrim in said bias directions over the male tool; and

    curing the uncured, stretched scrim on the male tool to form the cured part in the three-dimensional shape of the mold,wherein the single direction monofilament alignment within each unitape layer is stabilized and maintained during the stretching of the fiber-reinforced uncured scrim by reinforcement provided by the intersecting unitape layers.

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