METHOD OF FORMING A COMPOSITE ARTICLE WITH A TEXTURED SURFACE

摘要

A composite article (12) is manufactured in an open tool molding process, advantageously with a mold made of a polymer material. A coating layer (20) is applied onto the mold surface (18) and physically deformed to provide a textured surface (22) away from the mold prior to complete cure. Thereafter a composite material is applied onto the textured coating surface such that the composite material adjacent to textured coating surface substantially conforms to the shape of the textured coating surface. The composite article may be a gel coat material (14) from which the coating layer is removed after de-molding to reveal a textured surface layer in the gel coat.