METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING FIBER REINFORCED THERMOPLASTIC RESIN SHEET

摘要

PURPOSE:To simply obtain a sheet composed of a uniform mixture of a reinforcing fiber and a thermoplastic resin by a method wherein a thermoplastic resin powder is mixed with chopped strands formed by cutting a strand and the resulting mixture is allowed to naturally fall on a collecting conveyor to be heated and rolled. CONSTITUTION:A cutter 1 consists of a cutter roll 2 and a feed roller 3 whose outer peripheral surface is composed of an elastomer and the thermoplastic resin powder in a hopper 5 is supplied to the nip of the cutter roller 2 and feed roller 3 of the cutter 1. The obtained mixture is allowed to naturally fall on a collecting movable conveyor belt 6 to form an accumulated layer T having almost uniform thickness and this layer 1 is transferred by the movement of the conveyor belt 6 and held between conveyor belts 6,9 to be heated by heating rolls 7a, 7b to melt the thermoplastic resin powder. The layer T is simultaneously rolled to form a sheet with predetermined thickness and this sheet is cooled by a cooling roll 8 to produce a fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin sheet.