Systems for manufacturing a composite extruded product formed of a substrate and a film. The system includes an extruder, a film application section for integrally bonding the film to the substrate, a heating section for increasing the temperature of the composite extruded product, an embosser for embossing a pattern into the composite extruded product, and a cooling section for cooling the composite extruded product. The cooling section applies pressure to the composite extruded product and sprays cooling fluid onto the composite extruded product such that the composite extruded product is cooled and the pattern embossed into the first surface is permanently set.

A male element (100) of a mould (10) for the compression moulding of a parison comprises: a die (110), extending along a longitudinal axis (A) and including a body (112) having, inside it, a longitudinal cavity (113) 5 extending along the longitudinal axis (A) and, at one end of it, a socket (111) in communication with the longitudinal cavity (113); a stretching rod (120), slidably inserted in the longitudinal cavity (113) and including a terminal portion (121) at one end of it, the stretching rod (120) being movable relative to the die (110) between a retracted position, in which the 10 terminal portion (121) is housed inside the socket (111), and an extracted position, in which the terminal portion (121) is extracted from the socket (111).

An apparatus having a first portion including a first front wall, a first rear wall, and a bottom wall integrally coupled to the first front wall and the first rear wall, and pivotal pin structures integrally coupled to and extending from the first rear wall. The apparatus includes a second portion having a second front wall, a second rear wall, and a top wall integrally coupled to the second front wall and the second rear wall, and pin holders integrally coupled to and extending from the second rear wall and at an offset angle with reference to the top wall. The pivotal pin structure includes a base support connected to the first rear wall and a shaft connected to the base support, and the pin holder defines an opening sized and shaped to accept the shaft. The first and second portions are sized and shaped to be pivotally movable between open and closed configurations.

An injection mold includes two mold halves, each of the mold halves including a mold cavity coupled with a plastic material inlet to make a plastic part within the mold cavity, a solid metal material housing the mold cavity, a conformal cooling channel positioned around the solid metal material, a plurality of mesh-containing cavities containing metallic mesh material and positioned around the solid metal material, wherein the metallic mesh material of any of the plurality of mesh-containing cavities is of a constant size.

A method is provided for forming a near-net thermoplastic composite component includes co-spraying a mixture comprising a thermoplastic polymer material and a chopped reinforcing material deposited onto at least one region associated with a tool having a first temperature and defining a near-net component shape. The mixture and adjacent tool is heated to a second temperature while the mixture is on the tool. The first temperature is below the solidification temperature of the thermoplastic polymer material and the second temperature is above the solidification temperature. Then, the mixture is exposed to a negative pressure to promote removal of gases from the mixture and put under compressive force to densify the mixture. The thermoplastic polymer material melts and flows. The tool is cooled to the first temperature and removing the mixture to form the near-net thermoplastic composite component having randomly oriented chopped reinforcement material distributed within a thermoplastic polymer matrix.

An apparatus having a first portion including a first front wall, a first rear wall, and a bottom wall integrally coupled to the first front wall and the first rear wall, and pivotal pin structures integrally coupled to and extending from the first rear wall. The apparatus includes a second portion having a second front wall, a second rear wall, and a top wall integrally coupled to the second front wall and the second rear wall, and pin holders integrally coupled to and extending from the second rear wall and at an offset angle with reference to the top wall. The pivotal pin structure includes a base support connected to the first rear wall and a shaft connected to the base support, and the pin holder defines an opening sized and shaped to accept the shaft. The first and second portions are sized and shaped to be pivotally movable between open and closed configurations.

A fiber reinforced composite member molding apparatus includes a pair of molds for clamping prepreg formed of long carbon fibers impregnated with resin, induction heating coils for heating thermoplastic resin contained in the prepreg via the molds, and cooling passages for cooling the resin via the molds after the resin is melted, wherein the molds each have a design surface brought into contact with the layered prereg, the design surface being divided into a plurality of regions, and a plurality of cells provided along the design surface to be open at the back of the design surface and individually correspond to the regions of the design surface, the induction heating coils are arranged in the cells, and the cooling passages are formed in each of the molds to run along the design surface.

Methods and apparatuses for additive manufacturing using stereolithography (SLA) materials. The apparatus includes a platform for holding an assembly of SLA resin layers. The apparatus also includes a platform for holding an assembly of SLA resin layers. The apparatus also includes a first movable stage for depositing and curing a portion of the liquid SLA resin on the platform, forming a pattern of cured SLA resin. The apparatus also includes a second movable stage for depositing a low-viscosity non-SLA material in voids in the pattern of cured SLA resin. The apparatus also includes a cooler for cooling the low-viscosity non-SLA material below its freezing point until solidified.

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.

The invention relates to a device for cooling a casting mold (14), comprising an evaporation chamber (18) formed in the casting mold (14), a first pump (23) for supplying a liquid to the evaporation chamber (18), and a second pump (30, 31) for applying a pressure in the evaporation chamber (18), which differs from the atmospheric pressure. The invention also relates to a corresponding method. The invention allows the cooling of a casting mold to be controlled in a targeted manner. This can be helpful in particular in the injection molding of plastic parts.