The manufacture of structural elements for aircraft requires the use of complex and costly methods, particularly in the case of parts of elongate overall shape and variable thickness or cross section made of composite material. The disclosure herein proposes to overcome this problem by a method that allows the manufacture of a structural part from a preform made of composite material of simple shape obtained by pultrusion and of one or more reinforcing elements made of composite material and secured by cocuring with the preform to a region of this preform which region is to be reinforced.

An automated fiber placement (AFP) system includes a tool head with a compaction roller and a first variable heat source. The compaction roller is configured to receive at least one of a fiber and a plurality of fibers formed as a laydown tape, and is controlled to apply the laydown tape to a workpiece at a predetermined speed and direction. The first variable heat source is configured to apply a first amount of heat to the laydown tape. The first amount of heat applied is related to the predetermined speed. The AFP system further includes a second variable heat source configured to apply a second amount of heat to the workpiece. The second amount of heat applied is related to at least one of: a position on the workpiece, a thickness of the workpiece at that position, and a separation distance between the second variable heat source and the workpiece.

A device for consolidating a fiber preform to obtain a panel made of composite material of large dimension, comprising an induction heating system configured to generate at least one electromagnetic field in a heating zone, at least one susceptor incorporated in a first die tool supporting the fiber preform and/or a cladding covering the fiber preform, each susceptor producing a uniform heating of the fiber preform when it is positioned in the electromagnetic field of the induction heating system, and a mechanism configured to induce a relative movement between the induction heating system and the first die tool so that all the fiber preform crosses the heating zone.

A method for producing an object or component, which is at least partially formed from plastic, by supplying energy for solidifying the plastic of the object or component to the plastic to be solidified by at least one energy conductor, such as an optical fiber, in the component to be produced, and the solidification of the plastic can be accelerated by the direct energy introduction into the object or component to be produced.

Method for preparing a membrane from fibril cellulose includes supplying fibril cellulose dispersion on a filter layer, draining liquid from a fibril cellulose dispersion by the effect of reduced pressure through the filter layer that is impermeable to fibrils of the fibril cellulose but permeable to the liquid to form a membrane sheet on the filter fabric, applying heat on the opposite side of the membrane sheet to the membrane sheet while continuing draining of the liquid through the filter layer by pressure difference over the filter layer, and removing the membrane sheet from the filter layer as a freestanding membrane.

An apparatus and a method for improving at least one physical property of an extruded plastic material comprise an extruder for extruding the plastic material as well as a laser unit with at least one laser for irradiating the extruded plastic material with laser light. Further, the apparatus has at least one laser light-reflecting reflector arranged at a distance to the extruded plastic material. The laser and the reflector are arranged and designed such that the laser light emitted by the laser is incident on the reflector through the extruded plastic material, the reflector reflects the incident laser light such that at least a part of the reflected laser light hits the extruded plastic material.

A method for producing a reinforcing bar by pultrusion, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a source of fibres; b) assembling the fibres into a bundle; c) impregnating the bundle with a thermosetting resin; d) eliminating excess resin from the bundle; e) compressing the bundle in a centripetal manner; f) exposing the bundle to a radiant energy source; g) spraying particles onto a surface of the bundle; and h) exposing the bundle to radiation in order to initiate, on the surface of same, the polymerisation of the resin. The present invention also concerns a system provided with corresponding devices in order to be able to implement the method. The present invention also concerns a reinforcing bar obtained with the described method and/or system.

The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing the so-called “bladders”, that is generally tubular elements made of rubber, which can be inflated and used as compacting tools in the processed for curing composites, allowing to distribute homogeneously, on the surface in contact to the portion to be cured, the pressure obtained by inletting air or other gas inside thereof.

A foaming apparatus for a paper container (90), including: a main body (10), a delivery mechanism, a plurality of supports (30), a heating mechanism (40), a cooling mechanism (50), a feeding mechanism (60), and a pick-up mechanism (70). The main body (10) is divided into a feeding and pick-up area (13), a preheating area (14), a heating area (15) and a cooling area (16) on a horizontal plane; the delivery mechanism includes a chain (21) in closed circulation; each of the supports (30) is provided with a supporting portion (32) and a base (31); the heating mechanism (40) is disposed on the preheating area (14) and the heating area (15) so as to heat same; the cooling mechanism (50) is disposed on the cooling area (16) so as to cool same; the feeding mechanism (60) and the pick-up mechanism (70) are separately disposed above the feeding and pick-up area (13). Therefore, the foaming apparatus for the paper container (90) can effectively reduce the size of a machine while ensuring sufficient path length to do separate the heating area (15) from the cooling area (16).

According to one implementation, a prepreg lamination apparatus includes first and second rollers, a table, and a feed structure. The first roller sends out a first prepreg tape which is a part of material of an FRP. The second roller sends out a second prepreg tape which is another part of the material of the FRP. The table is for laminating the first and second prepreg tapes directly or indirectly. The feed structure is adapted to feed out the first and second prepreg tapes in a feeding direction by moving the first and second rollers relatively to the table while performing at least one of movement of the first roller relatively to the second roller, and rotation of at least one of the first and second rollers relatively to the table around an axis which is not parallel to each of rotation axes of the first and second rollers.