Apparatus for preforming a main body of a racket frame from a softened fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite tube

摘要

An apparatus for preforming a main body of a racket frame from a softened fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite tube includes an inner mold which has a base with a flat face that has an X axis and a Y axis perpendicular to the X axis. The inner mold further has a protrusion projecting from the flat face. The protrusion has an outer periphery which conforms with a contour of a racket frame and which confines a head-like portion and a shaft-like portion along the Y axis. A pressing unit for pressing the composite tube against the outer periphery includes a frame reciprocatable along the Y axis by means of a driving unit, two support members disposed opposite to each other and fixed respectively to the movable frame, two rolls mounted respectively to the support members, and a biasing unit for biasing each roll to press the composite tube against the outer periphery. An outer mold has two opposite halves disposed on two sides of the inner mold and movable along the X axis by means of a moving unit. Each half has a molding face. The molding faces of the halves confine a cavity with the outer periphery and the flat face along the outer periphery when the halves are moved toward the protrusion so as to be combined therewith.