Disclosed are methods and apparatus for use in composite manufacturing, to facilitate cooling of composite parts. The methods and apparatus disclosed are of particular use in thermal joining methods. A magnetic field is applied to a magnetocaloric material to induce a magnetic phase change. Heat is exhausting heat from the magnetocaloric material while the magnetic field is applied and, when the magnetic field is disapplied, heat is flowed from the composite assembly to the magnetocaloric material, reversing the magnetic phase change and cooling the composite part. An induction coil for inductively heating the composite part may be used to apply the magnetic field.

The invention relates to a placement device, a placement system, and a method of producing a component from a thermoset towpreg semi-finished product, as well as to a component. In particular the invention related to a placement device (1) for producing a component (104) from a thermoset towpreg semi-finished product (100), comprising a placement unit (2) for guiding the towpreg semi-finished product (100), a laser unit (4) for emitting a laser beam (6), and a heating section (8), wherein the laser unit (4) is arranged and configured to apply the laser beam (6) to the towpreg semi-finished product (100) in the heating area (8).

The present disclosure concerns a molding apparatus including: a first thermally conductive flange and a second thermally conductive flange, said first and second thermally conductive flanges delimiting a cavity configured to receive thermoplastic pre-impregnated textiles, a mold thermally conductive and thermoregulated by a heat transfer fluidcomprising an upper impression and a lower impression, said upper and lower impressions being configured to receive said first and second thermally conductive flanges.

The present invention provides a curing die for manufacturing a gel polymer electrolyte, and a method for manufacturing a gel polymer battery cell by using the same, the curing die comprising: a first die having a recessed part, which is formed inside a battery case and has a processing battery cell mounted therein and including an electrode assembly and a composition for forming the gel polymer electrolyte; and a second die coupled to the first die so as to seal the processing battery cell mounted in the recessed part.

An apparatus, system and method for isolating a controlled environment for cure process control of application and cure of one or more curable compounds to a structure. The apparatus has an end effector of an involute conformal mold having a mold body shaped to provide a shroud over an area covered with the one or more curable compounds on the structure, to isolate the area and the controlled environment. The mold body has an exterior surface, and an interior surface with a cavity profile corresponding to a desired curable compound shape. The mold body has one or more ports, and a plurality of involute channels with spiral flow paths. The involute channels include outer channel(s) having an outer path profile for regenerative heat transfer to the curable compound(s), and include inner channel(s) having an inner path profile for convective and radiative heat transfer to the curable compound(s).

A method of adhering first and second elongate webs includes depositing a first component of a two-component adhesive on a first face of the first elongate web and depositing a second component of the two-component adhesive on a first face of the second elongate web. The first face of the first elongate web and the first face of second elongate web are brought into contact, and the two components are mixed ultrasonically. In an alternate method, a two-component adhesive on at least a first face of the first elongate web, with at least one of the two components micro-encapsulated so that the two components of the two-component adhesive do not react. The first face of the first elongate web and the first face of the second elongate web are brought into contact. Ultrasound and/or heat is applied to free the microencapsulated components of the two-component adhesive, so that the components of the two component adhesive can react.

The present example provides a scalable tooling system using highly parallel convection heating for processing of high temperature composite materials. A single-sided mold is provided with vacuum pressure to cast and consolidate a raw material. The mold is integrally heated by a plurality of discretized heat sources providing a plurality of convection airflow sources to minimize the hot and cold spots inherit to typical convection oven processing. Airflow is arranged by orifices aligned conformally to the mold's profile surface such that rapid heating rates may be achieved while maintaining temperature control along the mold surface.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid; irradiating the build region through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer from the polymerizable liquid and advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form the three-dimensional object from the solid polymer, while also concurrently with the irradiating and/or advancing steps: (i) continuously maintaining a dead zone of polymerizable liquid in contact with the build surface, and (ii) continuously maintaining a gradient of polymerization zone between the dead zone and the solid polymer and in contact with each thereof. The gradient of polymerization zone comprises the polymerizable liquid in partially cured form (e.g., so that the formation of fault or cleavage lines between layers of solid polymer in the three-dimensional object is reduced). Apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

An incremental forming machine and a process are disclosed that comprise selecting a blank and selecting a stylus that has a tip at one end. The stylus may be heated to a desired temperature before contacting the blank with the stylus to change a characteristic of the blank or part. The stylus apparatus may include a tip on an end of a shaft and a resistance heating element disposed inside the tip. Alternatively, the stylus apparatus may include an induction heating coil disposed around the tip. The tip of the stylus may have a rotatable ball that engages the blank or part.

In general, the present invention relates to optical elements, which can be modified post-manufacture such that different versions of the element will have different optical properties. In particular, the present invention relates to lenses, such as intraocular lenses, which can be converted into aspheric lenses post-fabrication. Also, the present invention relates to a method for forming aspheric lenses post-fabrication.