3D thermoplastic composite pultrusion system and method

摘要

A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours.

主权项

1. A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system for creating a 3D thermoplastic composite pultrusion from a fiber thermoplastic composite material, comprising:
a heated pultrusion die to heat, consolidate, and press the fiber thermoplastic composite material; one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines located downstream of the heated pultrusion die, the one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines including one or more pairs of shapeable and flexible actively chilled bands, each pair being capable of applying pressure at a specific thickness to the fiber thermoplastic composite material pultrusion from opposite sides; a pultrusion gripper mechanism having one or more grippers in series located downstream of the one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines; a CNC control system controlling the one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to shape the one or more pairs of flexible actively chilled bands, a 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system computer system includes a computer readable medium configured to store executable programmed modules; a processor communicatively coupled with the computer readable medium configured to execute programmed modules stored therein; one or more computer programmed module elements stored in the computer readable medium and configured to be executed by the processor, wherein the one or more computer programmed module elements is configured to perform the following for a given cross-section of the fiber thermoplastic composite material:
incrementally advance the fiber thermoplastic composite material into the heated pultrusion die in a no compression condition using the pultrusion gripper mechanism,followed by incrementally consolidating and heating the fiber thermoplastic composite material by compressing and heating the fiber thermoplastic composite material with the thermoplastic pultrusion die in a compression condition and at a zero line speed,followed by first releasing the thermoplastic pultrusion die and incrementally advancing the heated and consolidated fiber thermoplastic composite material an incremental distance, with the thermoplastic pultrusion die in a no compression condition using the pultrusion gripper mechanism,followed by simultaneous forming and chilling the pultruded heated fiber thermoplastic composite material into a 3D thermoplastic composite pultrusion having varying surface contours in both a pultrusion direction and 90 degrees to the pultrusion direction by simultaneously chilling the pultruded heated fiber thermoplastic composite material and applying pressure with the one or more pairs of flexible actively chilled bands,programmed to be displaced in a manner such that the composite is chilled at a specific thickness assuring chilling at sufficient pressure with the one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines at a zero line speed,
followed by opening the one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines and advancing the 3D thermoplastic composite pultrusion an incremental distance using the pultrusion gripper mechanism.