A 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method based upon a 3D variable die system and including one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to continuously produce thermoplastic composite pultrusions with at least one of varying cross-section geometry and constant surface contours, varying cross-section geometry and varying surface contours, and constant cross-section geometry and varying surface contours. The 3D thermoplastic pultrusion system and method including at least one of one or more pairs of shapeable and flexible dual-temperature bands and a rotating assembly that rotates the one or more sets of 3D thermoplastic forming machines to impart a twist to the thermoplastic composite.

A thermoforming machine and device are described. The thermoforming device relates to a mold assembly comprising a first and second mold, and to a mold that can be used in a thermoforming process. A method for thermoforming a product is also described. It is noted that the thermoforming device comprises a second pre-stretcher, in addition to a first pre-stretcher and a calibration element, and that the second pre-stretcher is at least partially and moveably arranged inside a second mold body. Movements of the first pre-stretcher, the second pre-stretcher, and the calibration element are configured to be individually controlled.

A method for producing a thermoformed product on a single machine with several stations and with different tools includes the following steps: (a) melting and homogenizing plastic granules and providing the plastic melt at a preform station; (b) producing a preform at the preform station in a preform cavity; (c) transferring the preform by a transfer carrier to a thermoforming station at the same machine, the thermoforming station having a thermoforming tool having a thermoforming cavity; (d) preferably heating the preform during the transfer; (e) thermoforming of the thermoformed product in the thermoforming cavity. Advantageously, the final thermoformed product is produced directly from the plastic granules using only a single machine, and in particular without any waste, when the preform is dimensioned in such a way that it does not present any excess with respect to the final shape of the product to be produced.

A device for manufacturing a stiffened panel with reinforcements which each have a final thickness and a final height. The manufacturing device includes tools configured to each support a preform of fibers having a U-shaped or C-shaped cross section with a base and two wings. Each tool comprises, at at least one of its first and second lateral faces, a set-back portion which, when two tools are juxtaposed, delimits a recess configured to form a reinforcement during a consolidation or polymerization step. The tools are dimensioned such that each recess has a width, at the consolidation or polymerization temperature, that is substantially equal to the thickness of the reinforcements. This solution makes it possible to more effectively control the geometry of the stiffened panel by avoiding the formation of beads. A method for manufacturing a stiffened panel using the device is also disclosed.

A system and method are provided for implementing a process by which printed rolls of substrate material web have additional material layers interleaved between the rolled material web layers to substantially eliminate back transfer or roll offset of printed images on the back sides of the rolled material substrates. In a process for pre-printing thermoforming grade plastic materials to produce rolls of substrate material for use in a thermoforming process, ink compositions, particularly adapted for the thermoforming process, are deposited on substantially continuous webs of substrate material. The webs of substrate material are then re-rolled with separate layers of low surface energy substrate material interleaved between the layers of the printed substrate material in order to substantially eliminate imaging defects produced by back transfer of printed images on to the backs of layers of the printed substrate material stored in rolls.

A thermoforming assembly includes a lower mold part (20) and an upper mold part (34). The two mold parts are able to move in a substantially vertical direction between an open position and a closed position. Retaining members (28) are able to hold a sheet of softened thermoplastic (10) in a substantially horizontal mean plane Pm between the two mold parts. The retaining members include a plurality of rods (28) mounted mobile in the lower mold part (20). The rods (28) project out from the lower mold part (20) when the two mold parts (20, 34) are in the open position, to hold the sheet of softened thermoplastic (10) in the substantially horizontal mean plane Pm and accompany it as the mold closes.

A molding apparatus that adsorbs thermoplastic resin extruded in a sheet form from an extruding machine, onto a cavity of a mold, and shapes the thermoplastic resin into a shape according to the cavity is provided. The molding apparatus may include a frame that is positioned on a periphery of the mold and is movable relative to the mold, wherein a suction part for suctioning the thermoplastic resin is provided in a contact surface of the frame to contact the thermoplastic resin, and the suction part is provided in a linear shape along with a longitudinal direction of the frame positioned on the periphery of the mold.

The invention relates to thermoforming plant and their transport chains. Various aspects of the chain and chain rails are proposed. Overall the chain operates such that less wear occurs; it can also be cooled symmetrically and the film can be better heated up to the edges.

To provide a method of manufacturing a shaft-shape composite member in which a bent section is suitably treated. A plurality of thermosetting fiber-reinforced resin materials made of a UD material is supplied to a bending section of a mold in a state of being aligned in parallel to an axial direction of a cavity to form a UD material layer. Subsequently, after forming a tubular member having the UD material layer by the metal mold, by thermally curing the tubular member, the shaft-shape composite member having the bent section can be obtained. When manufacturing the shaft-shape composite member, a cross-section orthogonal to the axial direction of each of the fiber-reinforced resin materials has a circular shape.

An apparatus for the thermo-forming and/or thermo-adhesive bonding of semi-finished products comprises: an oven (6) having walls (8, 9, 11, 12) delimiting a chamber (13) configured for housing at least one semi-finished product (4); devices (15, 16, 20) for generating a flow of heated fluid; wherein at least one of the walls (11) has a plurality of openings (19) in fluid communication with the devices (15, 16, 20). Baffles (23) and/or closing elements (24) are mounted near at least some of the openings (19). The baffles (23) are configured to divert the heated fluid leaving the openings (19). The closing elements (24) are configured to obstruct some of the openings (19). The baffles (23) and/or the closing elements (24) are movable with respect to the walls (11) and/or they are replaceable, in order to change conditions of the flow of heated fluid in the chamber (13).