A hot press cushioning material includes a cushioning material body in the form of a plate; and surface materials provided on the front and back sides of the cushioning material body. The surface material includes a core layer composed of a heat resistant fiber material for a nonwoven structure, and a front-side resin layer covering the entire front side of the core layer. The core layer has an air permeability of 5 cm.sup.3.Math.cm.sup.−2.Math.s.sup.−1 or less and a bulk density of 0.8 g/cm.sup.3 or more.

A method of removing a vacuum bag from a composite mold. Removable strips are placed around the perimeter of the component parts and across the parts to create natural break points in the consumable materials used during manufacture of a composite product, e.g. wind turbine blade. The vacuum bag, and other consumable layers, are placed over the removable strip such that when the strips are pulled, the strip tears, in a controlled and complete manner, through each layer of consumables. This eliminates the need to use a knife/scissor to remove the finished product, thereby avoiding risk of injury.

A heat-resistant release sheet is configured to be disposed, when a resin or a target including a resin is used in a step involving heating and melting of the resin, between the resin or the target and a member to be brought into contact with the resin or the target to prevent direct contact between the resin or the target and the member. The sheet includes a skived sheet including polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or a modified PTFE. A content of a tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) unit in the modified PTFE is 99 mass % or more. In each of two directions being in-plane directions of the heat-resistant release sheet and being perpendicular to each other, a rate of dimensional shrinkage induced by heating at 175° C. for 30 minutes is more than 0%. The sheet includes the skived sheet including the heat-resistant resin but prevents occurrence of problems attributable to inclusion of the skived sheet.

Molding accuracy of a metal member is improved in an apparatus, a mold set, and a method for producing a metal-resin composite with a set of molds. An apparatus for manufacturing a metal-resin composite by press molding a metal member and a resin material, the apparatus including a mold including an upper mold and a lower mold sandwiching the metal member and the resin material, a molding auxiliary component detachably fixed to the upper mold so as to fill at least a part of a cavity C for arranging the resin material formed by the upper mold and the lower mold, and a drive unit that moves at least one of the upper mold and the lower mold in a vertical direction. The molding auxiliary component has a first press surface for molding the metal member. The upper mold has a second press surface for integrally molding the metal member and the resin material. A distance between the first press surface and the lower mold in a state where the molding auxiliary component is attached is shorter than a distance between the second press surface and the lower mold in a state where the molding auxiliary component is removed.

Molding accuracy of a metal member is improved in an apparatus, a mold set, and a method for producing a metal-resin composite with a set of molds. An apparatus for manufacturing a metal-resin composite by press molding a metal member and a resin material, the apparatus including a mold including an upper mold and a lower mold sandwiching the metal member and the resin material, a molding auxiliary component detachably fixed to the upper mold so as to fill at least a part of a cavity C for arranging the resin material formed by the upper mold and the lower mold, and a drive unit that moves at least one of the upper mold and the lower mold in a vertical direction. The molding auxiliary component has a first press surface for molding the metal member. The upper mold has a second press surface for integrally molding the metal member and the resin material. A distance between the first press surface and the lower mold in a state where the molding auxiliary component is attached is shorter than a distance between the second press surface and the lower mold in a state where the molding auxiliary component is removed.

An apparatus for processing a composite structure includes a mandrel that includes a tooling surface and vacuum bagging that includes an elastomeric membrane and a bagging surface. The apparatus also includes a surface interface formed between the mandrel and the elastomeric membrane. The surface interface includes a suction channel formed in at least one of the tooling surface of the mandrel and the bagging surface of the elastomeric membrane. The elastomeric membrane is configured to be sealed to the mandrel along the suction channel in response to a vacuum applied to the suction channel.

An apparatus for molding a part includes a plunger cavity, a plunger, and a mold cavity, wherein the plunger is oriented out-of-plane with respect to a major surface of the mold cavity, and first and second vents couples to respective first and second portions of the mold cavity. In a method, resin and fiber are forced into the mold cavity from a plunger cavity, and at least some of the fibers and resin are preferentially flowed to certain region in the mold cavity via the use of vents.

A multi-part compression mold for forming a complex part having a desired fiber alignment, and methods therefor, are disclosed. The multi-part mold comprises at least three sections. Specific arrangements of fiber-bundle-based preforms are introduced to more than one of the mold sections of the multi-part mold, and subjected to compression molding. The arrangements of preforms, in conjunction with the multi-part mold, result in a complex part having fibers that substantially align with anticipated principle stress vectors that arise in the complex part, when in use.

A multi-part compression mold for forming a complex part having a desired fiber alignment, and methods therefor, are disclosed. The multi-part mold comprises at least three sections. Specific arrangements of fiber-bundle-based preforms are introduced to more than one of the mold sections of the multi-part mold, and subjected to compression molding. The arrangements of preforms, in conjunction with the multi-part mold, result in a complex part having fibers that substantially align with anticipated principle stress vectors that arise in the complex part, when in use.

Disclosed are methods for forming a double-sided optical sheet, and a vehicle lamp assembly having the double-sided optical sheet integrated therein. A first optical pattern is imprinted on a first side of a material, and a second optical pattern is imprinted on a second side of the material, opposite the first side. The first and second optical patterns are thereby formed on opposing sides of the same sheet. When oriented adjacent a light source, the double-sided optical sheet homogenizes light emitted from the light source. For a light source having a plurality of lighting elements, the double-sided optical sheet is configured to blend light emitted from the plurality of lighting elements to form one homogenous beam of light output resulting from a single light-modifying member.