An autoclave includes a case, a chamber disposed inside the case, a cassette disposed inside the chamber, and a plurality of light sources mounted inside the cassette.

The present invention relates to an autoclave molding apparatus for use in molding a composite material composed of a fibrous base material and a matrix and sealed together with a molding tool in a vacuum bag, using steam for heating and compressing the composite material. The present invention provides an autoclave molding apparatus capable of effectively reducing the overshoot of the temperature of the composite material caused by poor dissipation of curing heat in a curing process and thereby capable of producing a composite material molded article having uniform and sufficient strength. More specifically, an autoclave molding apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that a condensed water holder(s) configured to hold condensed water generated by heating is mounted on at least a portion of the vacuum bag and/or at least a portion of the molding tool.

An example method for curing a composite part includes placing the composite part onto a topside of a cure tool, and a bottom surface of the composite part contacts the topside of the cure tool and a top surface of the composite part is opposite the bottom surface of the composite part. The method also includes placing the cure tool and the composite part into an autoclave, using the autoclave to apply external heat to the cure tool and the composite part so that air flows over the top surface of the composite part to heat the top surface, and applying additional heat to a backside of the cure tool via radiation provided by at least one heating source of the cure tool, so as to reduce a temperature difference between the backside of the cure tool and the top surface of the composite part being cured.

Golf balls having covers made of thermoplastic polyurethane compositions are provided. The golf ball includes an inner core and surrounding thermoplastic polyurethane outer cover. Multi-piece golf balls having outer cores, inner covers, and intermediate layers can be made. The invention includes cast molding methods for increasing the molecular weight of the thermoplastic polyurethane composition used to make the cover and ultimately to a golf ball cover having high shear and cut-resistance

This temperature monitoring device (100) can be placed in a furnace together with a composite material. The temperature monitoring device (100) includes: a pair of internal components (10) that each have a temperature detection surface (11) and are layered such that the temperature detection surfaces (11, 11) face each other; a temperature detection unit (30) disposed so as to be sandwiched between the temperature detection surfaces (11, 11); at least a pair of external components (20) that are respectively disposed on reverse sides from the temperature detection surfaces (11); and an adjustment part (50) capable of adjusting the sizes of the thickness-direction gaps between the internal components (10) and external components (20).

A device for making a double-sided toothed belt has an inner mold having teeth and an outer mold. The outer mold includes segments arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inner mold and mutually adjacent. The device has a force transmission element arranged on the radial outer side of the segments. A pressure vessel has a cylindrical wall surrounding the force transmission element. The force transmission element is formed as a bellows fastened with two ends in pressure-tight fashion to the pressure vessel. The force transmission element is arranged in a ring-shaped space formed between the wall of the pressure vessel and the radial outer side of the segments. The pressure vessel has a pressure medium bore which opens into the ring-shaped space radially outside the force transmission element. The segments and the inner mold each have one axial passage bore through which fluid can be conducted.

This disclosure is directed to a thermoplastic composite material forming method and tooling used to perform the method. More specifically, this disclosure is directed to a method of fabricating large, complex thermoplastic composite part shapes with a consolidation tool having a conformable tooling bladder that heat thermoplastic material in the tool and provide thermoplastic material consolidation pressure in directions in the tool to form a part shape of thermoplastic composite material. A novel tooling concept is used to fabricate large, complex thermoplastic composite part shapes which are not easily producible using traditional methods. The tooling concept employs a consolidation tool that provides a method to apply thermoplastic material consolidation pressure by a conformable tooling bladder that provides thermoplastic material consolidation pressure in directions in the tool that are not achievable by conventional clamshell type molds where the mold parts move in substantially vertical tool opening and tool closing directions.

Disclosed here is an autoclave system for curing a part. The autoclave includes a gas recirculation system, at least partially external to a vessel pf the autoclave system and fluidly coupleable to the vessel such that gas contained in the vessel is delivered to the gas recirculation system, passed through the gas recirculation system, and recirculated back into the vessel. The autoclave system also comprises at least one mold core, located within the vessel. The mold core comprises a conduit extending through the mold core and the mold core is configured to define a shape of the part. The gas delivered to the gas recirculation system from the vessel is gas received directly from the conduit of the mold core.

A method for fusing thermoplastic composite structures includes placing a substructure on an inner surface of a skin that is laid up on a shaping surface of a tool configured to maintain the shape of an outer mold line. The method further includes applying at least one insulation layer over a flange of the substructure and over exposed portions of the inner surface of the skin not in contact with the substructure, and applying a vacuum bag to at least partly enclose the skin and the substructure. The method yet still further includes applying heat to the shaping surface to fuse the substructure to the skin such that the skin exceeds its melting point and at least a portion of a raised segment of the substructure does not exceed its melting point.

Systems and methods are provided for curing a composite part. The method includes the steps of: disposing a heat blanket at a composite material; applying, with a controller, power to heaters distributed across multiple cells of a heat blanket to heat the composite material at the heat blanket; monitoring, with the controller, a temperature of the composite material at each of the multiple cells via thermocouples distributed across the multiple cells; and individually adjusting, with the controller, an amount of power applied to the heaters, for each of the multiple cells, in response to the monitored temperature and a target temperature.