摘要 |
<p>Fiber-reinforced resin deposits or other materials are consolidated in a noncontact-frictionless manner through the use of a pressurized plenum chamber (20) of a fluid bearing (10). The fluid bearing (10) is flexible and floats relative to the material (16) to be consolidated so that ply drop-offs and other variations in the thickness or surface contour of the material are easily accommodated. While within the plenum chamber, the material is locally heated by radiant energy from a source (30) positioned within the chamber. This localized heating enables the material to solidify in cooler zones of the plenum chamber under a uniform pressure. </p> |