A method for fabricating a vehicle interior trim having a support (4) and a surface covering (6) that covers the support (4), the covering having a front face (6A) intended to be visible and a rear face (6B) turned toward the support (4). The method includes producing a line of weakness (14) in the covering (6), bending the covering (6) along the line of weakness (14), and molding the support (4) against the rear face (6B) of the covering (6).

In a preferred embodiment, a composite panel with a smooth outer surface, ready for painting with or without addition of primer, may be created by constructing a panel layup assembly upon a mold, the panel layup assembly including a composite panel having a core and a resin formulation, and a release film between the mold and the composite panel, where a smooth release surface of the release film is in contact with the composite panel upon construction; initiating curing of the composite panel at a first temperature within a lowermost ten percent of a curing temperature range of the resin formulation; continuing curing of the composite panel at a second temperature above the lowermost ten percent of the curing temperature range; and completing curing of the composite panel at a third temperature below the second temperature.

A method for manufacturing a composite product, including: 1) preparing a composite powder including 10-50 v. % of a polymer adhesive and 50-90 v. % of a chopped fiber; 2) shaping the composite powder by using a selective laser sintering technology to yield a preform including pores; 3) preparing a liquid thermosetting resin precursor, immersing the preform into the liquid thermosetting resin precursor, allowing a liquid thermosetting resin of the liquid thermosetting resin precursor to infiltrate into the pores of the preform, and exposing the upper end of the preform out of the liquid surface of the liquid thermosetting resin precursor to discharge gas out of the pores of the preform; 4) collecting the preform from the liquid thermosetting resin precursor and curing the preform; and 5) polishing the preform obtained in 4) to yield a composite product.

A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The system may include a support, and a print head connected to and moveable by the support. The print head may have an outlet configured to discharge a continuous reinforcement at least partially coated in a matrix. The system may also include at least one doser located inside the print head and configured to at least partially coat the continuous reinforcement with the matrix, a sensor located downstream of the at least one doser and configured to generate a signal indicative of an amount of matrix coating the continuous reinforcement, and a controller in communication with the sensor and the at least one doser. The controller may be configured to direct a feedforward command to the at least one doser to cause the at least one doser to advance matrix toward the continuous reinforcement during passage of the continuous reinforcement through the print head, and to selectively adjust the feedforward command based on the signal.

A shaft assembly includes one or more axially-arranged plies having a plurality of bundles of strands. Each strand is formed of a ultra-high modulus carbon fiber material. One or more strands of glass fiber are wrapped around each bundle of the plurality of bundles. A volume of resin injected into the one or more axially-arranged plies and the assembly is cured via a resin transfer molding process. A method of forming a shaft assembly includes arranging a plurality of strands of ultra-high modulus carbon fiber material into a plurality of bundles. Each bundle of the plurality of bundles is wrapped with one or more strands of glass fiber material. The plurality of bundles are arranged into one or more axially-extending plies at a mandrel. A volume of resin is injected into the plurality of bundles and is cured to form the shaft assembly.

Moulding tool, for compression moulding and or in mould foaming of automotive trim parts, comprising at least one mould having a 3D shaped cavity, characterised in that the mould part comprises a thermoset resin binder matrix with particulates bound within the matrix.

A matrix material dispersed with one or more susceptor structures can be formed into a feedstock for an additive manufacturing process. The one or more susceptor structures can be excited by an energy field such as an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, or any combination thereof, to produce heat. The heat that is produced can be transferred to the matrix material that surrounds the one or more susceptor structures to provide heat treatment to the matrix material. The heat treatment can improve the material and mechanical properties of three dimensional objects formed from the feedstock.

Provided are a method and a device for producing a pultruded material that improve the homogeneity of a thermosetting resin. The device for producing a pultruded material comprises a first opening section, a second opening section, a closing section, a tension-applying section, an impregnating section, and a mold. The first opening section and the second opening section open a bundle of reinforcing fibers and thereby obtain a bundle of reinforcing fibers. The closing section closes the bundle of opened reinforcing fibers and thereby obtains a bundle of reinforcing fibers. The tension-applying section applies tension along the direction in which the reinforcing fibers extend to the bundle of reinforcing fibers that pass through the closing section. The impregnating section impregnates the bundle of reinforcing fibers with a thermosetting resin. The mold pultrudes the bundle of reinforcing fibers that have been impregnated with the thermosetting resin.

A method is described for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic substrate that simultaneously satisfies three points of joinability, mechanical characteristics, and productivity, the method including the following components [A], [B], and [C], wherein at least the following drawing step, first impregnating step, second impregnating step, and take-up step are continuously and sequentially performed while the component [A] is caused to run:

[A] a reinforcing fiber
[B] a thermoplastic resin
[C] a thermosetting resin <drawing step> step of drawing a continuous reinforcing fiber sheet containing the component [A]; <first impregnating step> step of impregnating either the component [B] or the component [C] from one surface of the continuous reinforcing fiber sheet to obtain a fiber-reinforced plastic intermediate in which either the component [B] or the component [C] is disposed on a first surface; <second impregnating step> step of impregnating the other of the component [B] or the component [C] from a second surface opposite to the first surface to obtain a fiber-reinforced plastic substrate; and <take-up step> step of taking up the fiber-reinforced plastic substrate.

A system and method for making an anti-scatter grid device is provided. The method may include providing a mold including one or more orientation structures arranged in first positions. The method may also include placing a plurality of plates including a first material into at least one of the orientation structures, and injecting a second material into a first cavity in the mold formed by the plurality of plates and the orientation structures. The method may further include separating the plurality of plates and the hardened second material from the mold to generate a first module.