The present disclosure is directed methods for modifying molds of rotor blades of a wind turbine. In certain embodiments, the blade mold is constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic material optionally reinforced with a fiber material. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying at least one blade mold addition for the mold of the rotor blade and positioning the blade mold addition at a predetermined location of the mold of the rotor blade. Further, the blade mold addition is constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic material. Thus, the method includes applying at least one of heat, pressure, or one or more chemicals at an interface of the blade mold addition and the mold so as to join the blade mold addition to the mold. In further embodiments, the methods described herein are also directed repairing thermoplastic blade molds.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a turbine engine blade from a preform (10) of composite material polymerised in a mould comprising a lower part (16) and an upper part, comprising at least one closure step, during which the upper part of said mould is placed on the lower part (16) of the mould containing the preform (10). The method comprises, prior to said closure step, at least one sub-step of inserting a position marker (28) into the preform (10), at least one sub-step of compacting the preform using an insert (34) intended to be received in the upper part of the mould (18), and at least one sub-step of checking the position of the marker (28) relative to a reference mark (30) of said insert (34).

A synthetic roofing tile or panel is provided that includes one or more features enhancing the impact resistance and other desirable properties as well as the ease of installation and/or use of the roofing tile or panel on a building structure. The roofing tile is formed in an improved color variation process is provided with regard to the manufacture of a synthetic material roofing tile in order to effectively simulate the appearance of the natural material represented by the synthetic roofing tile. The roofing tile also can be compression molded such as in a method for manufacturing a synthetic roofing tile or panel is provide in which a number of inserts representing the desired appearance for the roofing tile or panel can be utilized in the manufacturing process to provide roofing tiles or panels with the desired appearance. The inserts can be interchanged within the molds in order to provide different appearances to roofing tiles or panels formed using the same molds.

A tire vulcanizing mold is disclosed capable of accurately providing a clearance, from which air existing between a green tire and a side mold is released, on a side shaping surface and thereby preventing shaping defect. The tire vulcanizing mold includes an upper and lower pair of side molds having side shaping surfaces, each of which shapes a sidewall of a tire. Each of the side molds includes a side mold main body, plural pieces, and a clearance provided between the side mold main body and each of the pieces. The side mold main body includes plural recesses, each of which is closed in a tire circumferential direction and a tire radial direction and is opened to a side shaping surface, at spaced intervals in the tire circumferential direction. Each of the pieces is fitted into the recess and forms the side shaping surface with the side mold main body.

A mould tool (100) is provided which has a multipart mould layer assembly (200; 300; 400; 500; 600) which may either be formed from a carrier (202; 302; 402; 502) and an insert (206; 306; 406; 506) defining a mould profile, or a mould face component (602; 702) having a plurality of stackable blocks (630, 632, 634) which can be assembled to form a mould layer.

A front surface of a stencil plate to be mounted on a mounting groove of a tire vulcanizing mold is provided with: a first recess for forming a protruding identification mark on an outer surface of a tire; and a second recess on which a screw having a flat head bottom surface is disposed, the second recess being formed on a periphery of a through hole. A back surface of the stencil plate is provided with: a first protrusion corresponding to the first recess and protruding toward a groove bottom surface; and a second protrusion corresponding to the second recess and having a flat surface capable of being brought into surface contact with the groove bottom surface. When a protrusion amount of the first protrusion is H1 (mm), and a protrusion amount of the second protrusion is H2 (mm), 0H2H1 is satisfied.

A molding system for forming a composite structure having trapped volumes is presented. The molding system comprises a plurality of removeable inserts, a bottom tool member, and a plurality of restraints. Each removeable insert of the plurality of removeable inserts comprises a plurality of pieces configured to be disassembled for removal from the composite structure. Each removeable insert is configured to be placed in contact with the bottom tool member. The plurality of restraints is configured to restrain the plurality of removeable inserts in a vertical direction relative to the bottom tool member.

A mold for molding an object having a shape, the mold comprising: a top, middle, and bottom bodies, said bodies having peripheral walls, and defining a central vertical axis and an inside cavity surface having same central vertical axis, when said bodies are in mutual contact; and a center hole disposed centrally in a top surface of the top body, the center hole aligning with the vertical central axis; the middle body comprising separate halves that are identical in shape; wherein the inside cavity surface comprises at least one protrusion disposed horizontally along the inside cavity surface, and at least one channel disposed horizontally along the inside cavity surface, the at least one channel being adjacent to the at least one protrusion; wherein, in the presence of a molding compound, the inside cavity surface defines at least a portion of the shape of the object being molded within the mold.

A method of manufacturing a resin-laminated board by preparing a pair of first and second split molds each of which is provided with a cavity; positioning two sheet materials made of a thermoplastic resin between the first and second split molds with the cavities of the first and second split molds opposed to each other; forming a plurality of recesses by recessing a first sheet material toward a second sheet material with use of a plurality of protrusions provided to the first split mold; and welding bottoms of the recesses to the second sheet material by clamping the pair of first and second split molds to obtain a resin-laminated board with a hollow structure. A mold includes a plurality of piece members, disposed at the cavity of the first split mold; and includes the protrusions and male screws provided to base ends of the protrusions.

Methods of assembling stiffened composite structures are disclosed. Some methods include forming a stiffener assembly by compacting it within a trough formed in a trunnion. A single trunnion may accommodate two or more different types of stiffeners, thereby avoiding the need for multiple sets of tooling. In some methods, a plurality of stiffener segments may be spliced together, thereby avoiding the need to transport and handle an entire stiffener. A vacuum chuck may be utilized in some examples to transfer the stiffener assembly from the trunnion to a transfer tool. The same vacuum chuck may be transferred along with the stiffener assembly on the transfer tool and loaded onto an inner mold line layup mandrel, where the vacuum chuck may be used to compact the stiffener assembly to the inner mold line layup mandrel.