The present invention provides a fiber-reinforced resin intermediate material, including not only a thermoplastic resin but also a thermosetting resin, in which defects such as voids are difficult to be generated and which is excellent in shaping ability; and a method for manufacturing the same. The fiber-reinforced resin intermediate material according to the present invention is a fiber-reinforced resin intermediate material formed by attaching a resin to an outer surface part of a reinforcing fiber substrate formed of reinforcing fibers subjected to opening and heating the resin to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the resin to impregnate the reinforcing fiber substrate with the resin, wherein the reinforcing fiber substrate has void space that is opened on an outer surface thereof and the resin is in a semi-impregnated state.

The present invention relates to a composite preform comprising a multistage polymer. The present invention further relates to a method for making a composite preform comprising a fibrous material and a multistage polymer and its use in making composite articles. The present invention also relates to a process for preparing a composite preform comprising a fibrous material and a multistage polymer and its use for producing fibre reinforced impact modified composites.

An apparatus for perforating a carbon fiber substrate material comprises a support structure including a first side support and a second side support and a cylindrical anvil rotatably connected between the first side support and the second side support. The anvil is configured to move the carbon fiber substrate material in response to rotation of the anvil. The apparatus further comprises a cylindrical cutting wheel rotatably connected to the support structure between the first side support and the second side support and positioned adjacent to the anvil. The cutting wheel includes a plurality of blades projecting outward from an outer surface of the cutting wheel wherein the blades of the cutting wheel are configured to perforate the carbon fiber substrate material when the carbon fiber substrate material moves between the anvil and the cutting wheel.

The fiber-reinforced resin intermediate material according to the present invention is formed by attaching a resin powder to an outer surface of a reinforcing fiber substrate formed of reinforcing fibers and heating it to melt the resin powder to the outer surface of the reinforcing fiber substrate so as to have an uneven shape derived from the resin powder and also have an opened void space.

A process is provided for thermal molding an article with at least one layer of thermoplastic fibers that are non-woven and uni-directionally oriented in combination with at least one layer of reinforcing fibers. The reinforcing fibers including glass, carbon, nature based, and combinations thereof; alone or mixed with chopped thermoplastic fibers. Upon subjecting the layers to sufficient heat to thermally bond in the presence of non-oriented filler fibers, thermoplastic fiber fusion encapsulates the filler fibers. The filler fibers impart physical properties to the resulting article and the residual unidirectional orientation of the thermoplastic melt imparts physical properties in the fiber direction to the article. By combining layers with varying orientations of uni-directional fibers relative to one another, the physical properties of the resulting article may be controlled and extended relative to conventional thermoplastic moldings. The uni-directional fibers may have discontinuities along the length of individual fibers.

A method of manufacturing a sheet molding compound, comprises (i) allowing short fiber bundles to fall onto a travelling carrier film, while dispersing the short fiber bundles using a dispersion roller device, thereby depositing a fiber mat on the carrier film, and (ii) impregnating the fiber mat with a thermosetting resin composition, wherein the dispersion roller device has a rotationally driven dispersion roll, bearings, a first side cover, and a second side cover, wherein the dispersion roll comprises a roll body and roll body-adjoining parts, and an inner circumferential surface of a circular opening provided in each of the first and second side covers and a cylindrical circumferential surface of each of the roll body-adjoining parts face each other.

A fiber composite laminate having one or more fiber layers, comprising a first laminate region and a second laminate region. In the first laminate region, the fiber layers of the fiber composite laminate are impregnated with a thermoplastic elastomer material. In the second laminate region, fiber layers of a first lamina of the fiber composite laminate are impregnated with the thermoplastic elastomer matrix, and fiber layers of at least one second lamina of the fiber composite laminate that is positioned on top of the first lamina are impregnated with a thermosetting polymer matrix.

Additive fabrication methods for 3D composite objects having preform fiber reinforcements embedded in a matrix material include providing local heat and mechanical energy to at least partially melt, impregnate and solidify the matrix material forming at least one reinforced composite layer of the object. Successive layers are added in accordance to a computer generated tool path to form a three dimensional object with useful features.

According to a manufacturing method and device for manufacturing a composite material having reinforced base materials with a resin impregnated in the reinforced base materials. An unactivated powdered adhesive is applied to at least one surface of a plurality of carbon fiber sheets. The carbon fiber sheets are laminated to form a laminate. At least a portion of the unactivated powdered adhesive that is applied between layers of the laminate is removed using an airflow that flows from one exterior surface of the laminate to an opposite exterior surface of the laminate to form a preform having a first region in which the activated adhesive is impregnated in the laminate, and a second region in which a content density of the activated adhesive is less than that in the first region.

Methods of making prepregs are described. The methods include the steps of forming a fiber-containing substrate, and contacting the fiber-containing substrate with a resin mixture. The resin mixture may include polymer particles mixed in a liquid medium, and the polymer particles may be coated on the fiber-containing substrate to form a coated substrate. The liquid medium may be removed from the coated substrate to form the prepreg. The prepregs may be used to make fiber-reinforced articles.