Provided is a method for manufacturing a formed article that excels in shape retainability and appearance, using a sheet that contains a thermoplastic resin fiber and a continuous reinforcing fiber. The method for manufacturing a formed article comprises irradiating laser light onto a sheet having, arranged therein with a certain directionality, yarns that contain a thermoplastic resin fiber and a continuous reinforcing fiber, so as to allow at least a part of the thermoplastic resin fiber to be impregnated into the continuous reinforcing fiber; the laser light being irradiated so as to satisfy at least one of A or B below, over at least 70% or more of the laser irradiation area; A: irradiated in a direction 5 to 85 away from the direction of arrangement of yarns in the in-plane direction of the sheet; and B: irradiated in a direction 30 to 60 away from the direction perpendicular to the sheet plane.

A method and system for thermal forming an object. A mold is provided, a shape of which corresponds to a desired shape of the object. A material is inserted into a heating area, and the material is heated using a plurality of independently controllable heat sources that heat different areas of the material. The heated material is then disposed over or into at least a portion of the mold so as to deform the material. The deformed material may then be trimmed so as to form the object.

A method for continuously fabricating a composite sandwich structure includes the steps of: (1) moving a laminate, substantially continuously, through a preheating zone, wherein the laminate includes a first face sheet, a second face sheet and a core sandwiched between the first face sheet and the second face sheet; (2) preheating the laminate to a preforming temperature above a glass transition temperature of the laminate and below or equal to a crystalline melt temperature of the laminate as the laminate is being moved through the preheating zone; (3) moving the laminate, substantially continuously, through a consolidation zone; and (4) consolidating the laminate as the laminate is being moved through the consolidation zone to form a continuous length of the composite sandwich structure.

The present invention relates to a method for thermally activating a functional layer of a coating material, preferably an edge material, wherein the method comprises the following steps: providing the coating material; feeding the coating material to a device for thermally activating a functional layer of the coating material; and thermally activating the functional layer of the coating material, wherein the thermal activation of the functional layer of the coating material occurs by microwaves which are generated by at least one semiconductor wave generator. The present invention also relates to a device for thermally activating a functional layer of a coating material.

A laying die, for picking up and laying of substrates, comprising an elastically deformable substrate receiving structure providing an engagement surface for releasable receiving of substrates, an attaching element comprising a gas channel for providing positively or negatively pressurized gas for picking up and blowing off the substrates, and a carrier body made from elastically deformable material and sandwiched between the substrate receiving structure and the attaching element which is arranged to distribute the positively or negatively pressurized gas over the carrier body. The carrier body comprises breakthroughs to transfer the pressurized gas from the attaching element to the substrate receiving structure that comprises an elastically deformable distribution plate to distribute the positively or negatively pressurized gas over the engagement surface. Also, a laying device which changes the position and/or orientation of substrates to predetermined values can comprise the laying die and a method for manufacturing the laying die.

Sheets having thicknesses of from 1000 to 10,000 microns which are useful for the production of thermoformed semi-crystalline articles are based on polyaryletherketones having viscosities at 360? C. of at least about 400 Pas at 100 s.sup.?1 as measured by parallel plate rheometer. The polyaryletherketones are in a pseudo-amorphous state in the thermoformable sheets.

Systems for thermal forming an object are provided. In some embodiments, a system for thermal forming an object using a mold includes one or more processors, and memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform the following operations: receiving a mold identifier identifying the mold; determining mold process information for forming the object based on the mold identifier; inserting a material into a heating area, the material having a geometry selected based on the mold process information; heating the material using one or more independently controllable heat sources; and forming the object by disposing the heated material over or into at least a portion of the mold.

A laying die, for picking up and laying of substrates, comprising an elastically deformable substrate receiving structure providing an engagement surface for releasable receiving of substrates, an attaching element comprising a gas channel for providing positively or negatively pressurized gas for picking up and blowing off the substrates, and a carrier body made from elastically deformable material and sandwiched between the substrate receiving structure and the attaching element which is arranged to distribute the positively or negatively pressurized gas over the carrier body. The carrier body comprises breakthroughs to transfer the pressurized gas from the attaching element to the substrate receiving structure that comprises an elastically deformable distribution plate to distribute the positively or negatively pressurized gas over the engagement surface. Also, a laying device which changes the position and/or orientation of substrates to predetermined values can comprise the laying die and a method for manufacturing the laying die.

Provided is a method for manufacturing a formed article that excels in shape retainability and appearance, using a sheet that contains a thermoplastic resin fiber and a continuous reinforcing fiber. The method for manufacturing a formed article comprises irradiating laser light onto a sheet having, arranged therein with a certain directionality, yarns that contain a thermoplastic resin fiber and a continuous reinforcing fiber, so as to allow at least a part of the thermoplastic resin fiber to be impregnated into the continuous reinforcing fiber; the laser light being irradiated so as to satisfy at least one of A or B below, over at least 70% or more of the laser irradiation area; A: irradiated in a direction 5 to 85 away from the direction of arrangement of yarns in the in-plane direction of the sheet; and B: irradiated in a direction 30 to 60 away from the direction perpendicular to the sheet plane.

A method involves heating fiber-reinforced semi-finished products of differing wall thickness to a required temperature above the glass transition range or the matrix melting temperature of a plastic matrix of the semi-finished product to be heated. In a first step, the semi-finished product to be heated is heated by thermal conduction to below the glass transition range or the matrix melting temperature. In a further step, the remaining amount of heat for reaching the required temperature above the glass transition range or the matrix melting temperature is introduced by thermal radiation or thermal convection.