APPARATUS FOR MOLDING COMPOSITE ARTICLES

摘要

An apparatus for molding composite articles includes a pair of opposed match ed- tool mold sections, each having a rigid housing (28, 30) and a thin, semi-rigid membrane (32, 34) removably and sealably mounted on the housing so as to define a fluid-tight chamber (38, 40) therein. The chamber of each mold section is filled with a noncompressible heat-conductive fluid (42) to provide fluid backing to the portions of each membrane defining the molding surfaces of each mold section (14, 16). A system of temperature control coils (56) extending within each chamber are connected to an external heater/chiller un it to permit circulation therethrough of a suitable temperature control fluid, whereby positive control of the temperature of the backing fluid (42) and, correlatively, the molding surfaces of the membranes.