The present disclosure is directed at the deposition of multiple layers and/or multiple blends of fiber which optionally include other additives in a 3D mold. The resulting parts are particularly suitable for automotive acoustic parts that may be used, for example, in under-carpet applications, flooring, headliners, trunk liners, and inner and outer dash liners. The parts may also include acoustic exterior parts. The fibers may also be filled/packed differently within the mold at any specified location.

An automated manufacturing method and system and in-mold coated plastic article produced thereby are provided. The system includes a combination compression and injection mold and a plurality of program-controlled manipulators. An automatic sprayer supported on a first manipulator sprays at least a portion of a mold surface with an in-mold coating composition. An end effector supported on a second manipulator picks up a heated blank of moldable plastic sheet material from an oven and places the heated blank in the mold. An inner portion of the heated blank is forced into an article-defining cavity of the mold and into contact with at least a portion of the composition. The composition and the inner portion cure and bond to one another and a plastic compatible with the plastic of the sheet is injected into the mold so as to form the coated plastic article.

An aircraft structure (such as a T-shaped structure, a convex structure, a curved structure, or the like) includes: a laminated structure including composite-material layers that are laminated; and wherein the composite material aircraft structure is a three-dimensional structure that includes at least one of a standing structure, a convex structure, or a curved structure. The composite-material layers include at least a composite-material layer in which a reinforced fiber is a single continuous fiber, wherein the single continuous fiber includes a partial slit region. When a thickness of a flat-plate formed body including a same laminated structure as the aircraft structure but not including the three-dimensional structure, is defined as a reference thickness, the aircraft structure includes a thin plate region which has a thickness that is smaller than the reference thickness while maintaining the laminated structure.

A panel structure (10A) includes a substrate portion (11) and at least two ribs (12) standing on the substrate portion (11) and intersecting with each other. A substrate material portion (24) constituting the substrate portion (11) is formed by using at least matrix resin. Continuous fibers or slit continuous fibers are arranged at a position corresponding to the ribs (12) and a rib intersecting portion (13).

A method for bending towpreg to yield a desired amount of axial force during bending to form a preform is provided including inserting towpreg into a bending die, applying an initial axial force to the towpreg, and moving the gripped end of the towpreg in an involute path using a cam, a cam follower and a gripper, the gripper disposed on the cam follower. Axial force between the gripped end and the stationary end of the towpreg from a point where the towpreg contacts a surface of the bending die is applied tangent to the surface of the bending die while bending the towpreg. An apparatus for bending towpreg to form a preform is provided including bending dies disposed in fixed positions, and a follower. Axial involute cam mechanism having a drive shaft, a cam, a cam follower that follows an involute path around the cam, a gripper and a clamp.

A method for bending towpreg to yield a desired amount of axial force during bending to form a preform is provided including inserting towpreg into a bending die, applying an initial axial force to the towpreg, and moving the gripped end of the towpreg in an involute path using a cam, a cam follower and a gripper, the gripper disposed on the cam follower. Axial force between the gripped end and the stationary end of the towpreg from a point where the towpreg contacts a surface of the bending die is applied tangent to the surface of the bending die while bending the towpreg. An apparatus for bending towpreg to form a preform is provided including bending dies disposed in fixed positions, and a follower. Axial involute cam mechanism having a drive shaft, a cam, a cam follower that follows an involute path around the cam, a gripper and a clamp.

Systems and methods of providing powder are disclosed. A system includes a powder hopper, one or more sensors, a feeder hopper and a processor in operable communication with the one or more sensors and the feeder hopper. The powder hopper is configured to provide a powder to a pair of rollers. Each of the one or more sensors is configured to determine a characteristic of the powder in the powder hopper. The feeder hopper is configured to provide the powder to the powder hopper. The processor is configured to cause the feeder hopper to provide the powder to the powder hopper in response to the characteristic of the powder in the powder hopper being less than a threshold.

A multi-material molding apparatus and method includes a single mold having, within a mold cavity, one or more movable partitions that segregate at least first and second molding materials. The first molding material is processed to form a first molded portion of the multi-material part. The second molding material is then flowed, through the movable partition, into contact with the first molded portion. That second molding material is then solidified to form a second molded portion of the multi-material part.

A multi-material molding apparatus and method includes a single mold having, within a mold cavity, one or more movable partitions that segregate at least first and second molding materials. The first molding material is processed to form a first molded portion of the multi-material part. The second molding material is then flowed, through the movable partition, into contact with the first molded portion. That second molding material is then solidified to form a second molded portion of the multi-material part.

There is provided a resin-sealing apparatus that supplies an appropriate amount of sheet-shaped resin for each workpiece, thereby improving the molding quality of a molded product without production of resin dust, such that no redundant resin is produced on a molded product. The resin-sealing apparatus includes a resin supply part that supplies a sheet-shaped resin by cutting out an amount of sheet-shaped resin appropriate for one-time compression molding from a long resin sheet formed to have a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness depending on an amount of resin required for each workpiece, and a transport part that transports the appropriate amount of sheet-shaped resin supplied by the resin supply part to a sealing mold.