A spider for a rotary molding process is provided. The spider includes an upper mold enclosure, a lower mold enclosure, and a clamping assembly. The lower mold enclosure is configured to selectively cooperate with the upper mold enclosure to facilitate retention of a mold housing therebetween. The clamping assembly comprises a collar, a plurality of brace members, and a clamping member. Each brace member is coupled with each of the collar and the upper mold enclosure. The clamping member is rotatably coupled with the lower mold enclosure and is rotatable about an axis in a clamping and unclamping direction. The axis extends through the collar. The collar is spaced from the upper mold enclosure along the axis. Rotation of the clamping member in the clamping direction facilitates translation of the collar towards the lower mold enclosure to facilitate urging of the upper mold enclosure and the lower mold enclosure together.

Methods of manufacturing a structural component each include providing a preformed layered structure including a plurality of layers each having reinforcing fibers embedded in a thermoplastic matrix material, heating the layered structure in a cavity formed between a contour surface and an abutment member to a first temperature, which is greater than a melting point of the thermoplastic matrix material, and cooling the layer structure in the cavity to a solidification temperature which is, e.g., less than the melting point of the thermoplastic matrix material, while applying a compression pressure. According to a method, the compression pressure is generated by using a magnet device to generate a magnetic field directed transversely to the contour surface, which pulls or compresses the abutment member and the contour surface relative to each other. According to a further method, inductive heating of the cavity occurs.

A positioning device for aligning and guiding a first half and a second half of a mold together. The positioning device may comprise a housing including identical wall members configured to define a cavity. A first member may be slidably disposed within the cavity defined by the housing. The first member may comprise a base and a plurality of walls extending from said base, wherein the plurality of walls is configured to define a void with an opening opposite the base. The first member may further comprise a post extending from the base opposite the plurality of walls and a ring disposed radially about a portion of the post, wherein the ring is configured to retain the first member within the housing. The positioning device may further comprise a second member comprising a base and a protrusion, wherein the protrusion is configured to matingly engage the void of the member.

A positioning device for aligning and guiding a first half and a second half of a mold together. The positioning device may comprise a housing including identical wall members configured to define a cavity. A first member may be slidably disposed within the cavity defined by the housing. The first member may comprise a base and a plurality of walls extending from said base, wherein the plurality of walls is configured to define a void with an opening opposite the base. The first member may further comprise a post extending from the base opposite the plurality of walls and a ring disposed radially about a portion of the post, wherein the ring is configured to retain the first member within the housing. The positioning device may further comprise a second member comprising a base and a protrusion, wherein the protrusion is configured to matingly engage the void of the member.

A mold for molding a composite preform that has an outer edge thereabout and a plurality of tethers each attached at respective opposed ends thereof to the outer edge. The mold includes first and second mold halves defining a mold body and being configured to transition between an open position and a generally closed position, and a plurality of moveable members each having a moveable gage pin configured for being wrapped thereabout by a respective one of the tethers and a respective actuator configured for moving the moveable gage pin between a respective first position in which the respective moveable gage pin is disposed at a respective first distance from a center of the mold body and a respective second position in which the respective moveable gage pin is disposed at a respective second distance from the center of the mold body that is less than the first distance.

A mold container device includes a plurality of segments, an outer ring, and a conversion mechanism. The conversion mechanism connects the outer ring and the segment. The conversion mechanism moves the segment in a radial direction between a first position and a second position outside the first position in the radial direction, according to displacement of the outer ring in the direction of the axis O. The conversion mechanism further swings one of a lower edge portion and an upper edge portion of the segment in the radial direction, according to displacement of the outer ring in the direction of the axis O.

A clamping apparatus of a soft film and a mounting fixture thereof are described. The clamping apparatus includes a first bar, a second bar, a third bar, and at least one elastic element. The first bar and second bar are respectively configured to fix a first side portion and a second side portion of a soft film. The third bar is adjacent and connected to the second bar. The third bar and the first bar are respectively located on two opposite sides of the second bar. The third bar is configured to pull the soft film from the second side portion of the soft film through the second bar. The elastic element has a first end and a second end opposite to each other and respectively disposed on the second bar and the third bar. The elastic element is configured to provide the soft film with pull buffer.

An assembly includes a first mold component defining a first portion of a mold cavity and a first slot. The first slot corresponds to a first portion of a retention channel. The assembly also includes a second mold component defining a second portion of the mold cavity and a second slot. The second slot corresponds to a second portion of the retention channel. The assembly also includes a connector having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the retention channel. The connector has thermal expansion characteristics that are different from thermal expansion characteristics of the first and second mold components such that when the first and second mold components are in contact and the connector is inserted into the retention channel, heating the assembly causes differential thermal expansion of the connector and the mold components resulting in a clamping force between the mold components.

A fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) molding system in which FRP material, having stacked prepregs, is molded to manufacture an arc-shaped FRP component. The FRP molding system comprises inner and outer jig plates, a partial pressing device, and transfer devices. The jig plates are arc-shaped members having outer and inner surfaces that respectively fit with inner and outer surface shapes of the FRP component. The FRP material is sandwiched between the jig plates to form an integrated jig plate. The partial pressing device intermittently compresses a portion of the integrated jig plate in a radial direction orthogonal to an arc of the FRP component so that the FRP component is partially molded. The transfer devices intermittently move the compressed portion of the integrated jig plate by the partial pressing device. By repeating the partial pressing and the transport, the entire integrated jig plate is compressed to form the FRP component.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a plurality of wind turbine blades. The method includes providing first, second and third stationary moulds, moulding respective first upper and lower shell halves, removing and turning the first upper shell half, and positioning and bonding it on the first lower shell half to form a closed wind turbine blade shell. This is repeated for continuously manufacturing a plurality of wind turbine blades.