Methods of recovering and/or recycling expanded polymer tooling, the methods including collecting expanded polymer tooling, reducing the collected expanded polymer tooling into smaller particles, treating the reduced expanded polymer tooling in order to yield an at least partially purified recovered polymer composition, and then collecting the at least partially purified recovered polymer composition. The at least partially purified recovered polymer composition can then be used to form new expandable polymer tooling.

Tool arrangement for compacting a composite preform assembly comprising a support structure preform and an array of component preforms each extending from the support structure preform and spaced apart along the support structure preform. The tool arrangement comprises a support tool defining a lay-up surface for laying up the support structure preform; a plurality of component moulds, each component mould comprising a pair of blocks configured to cooperate with one another to receive and compact a respective component preform extending from the support structure therebetween, each block having a compaction surface for engaging the component preform and a driving surface.

A composite material molded product has a hollow portion, a bent portion, or a curved portion in a transverse section thereof. When the composite material molded product has, for example, a bent portion, a surface on an inside of the bent portion is a pressed surface. A mold includes a pressing body that is thermally expandable and has an outer surface shape corresponding to a shape of a pressed surface, and a mold main body including a cavity accommodating the laminate and the pressing body inside, the cavity including an inner surface shape corresponding to a shape other than the pressed surface. The cavity is sealed in a state that the pressing body is disposed in the cavity. The laminate is accommodated in a molding space formed between an inner surface of the cavity and an outer surface of the pressing body.

Lightweight and strong components having any desired shape, form, or geometry may be manufactured using thermally expanding mandrels by the processes described herein. A thermally expanding mandrel may be formed from an expanding material composition including thermally expanding particles, e.g., micronized rubber particles, and water-soluble binder material, e.g., gypsum plaster. Component material may be applied to the mandrel, and the mandrel may be inserted into a molding tool. Upon application of heat to the mandrel, the mandrel may expand, and compress and cure the component material into a component within the molding tool. Following formation of the component, the mandrel may be washed out of the component, e.g., using pressurized water, and the expanding material composition may be recycled and/or reused.

Methods and systems for consolidating an additively manufactured piece. In one embodiment, methods include the step of combining the additively manufactured piece with another piece, for example with another additively manufactured piece or with a piece that is not additively manufactured (e.g. an insert, foam, etc.), so that during a consolidation step, those pieces are assembled or connected together.

The present invention is related to a method and an apparatus for curing a polymeric form. The method includes arranging an uncured polymeric form within a curing chamber (60) formed by a base member (20) and a constraining member (40). A thermal expansion member (30) is additionally positioned within the curing chamber (60) with the uncured polymeric form (70) such that the thermal expansion member and the uncured polymeric form are positioned between the base member (20) and the constraining member (40). The thermal expansion member (30) is heated to expand in size into an expanded state. In the expanded state the thermal expansion member (30) applies pressure to the uncured polymeric form (70) within the curing chamber. The expansion of the thermal expansion member (30) is maintained to maintain the application of pressure to the uncured polymeric form while the uncured polymeric form is being cured to form a cured polymeric form.

A production method for a fiber-reinforced resin molded object is provided whereby a large apparatus is not used when molding, by heating and pressing, a fiber-reinforced resin base material that includes a matrix resin, a molded object with excellent precision and quality can be obtained, and for which work is simple.

The production method includes arranging, on an inner surface of a lower mold 3, a fiber-reinforced resin base material 1 obtained by impregnating a matrix resin into reinforcing fibers; filling a core space 5 of the mold, in which the fiber-reinforced resin base material 1 is arranged, with a powder mixture 2a that has liquidity and that includes thermally expandable microcapsules and another powder; sealing the lower mold 3 and an upper mold 4; heating at from a heat expansion starting temperature to a maximum expansion temperature of the thermally expandable microcapsules to cause the thermally expandable microcapsules to expand; and pressing the fiber-reinforced resin base material 1 against the inner surface of the lower mold 3 to produce a molded object.

Methods for microwave melting of fiber mixtures to form composite materials include placing the fiber mixture in a receptacle located in a microwave oven. The methods further include microwave heating the mixture, causing a heat activated compression mechanism to automatically increase compressive force on the mixture, thereby eliminating air and void volumes. The heat activated compression mechanism can include a shape memory alloy wire connecting first and second compression brackets, or one or more ceramic blocks configured to increase in volume and thereby increase compression on the mixture.

Systems and methods are provided for utilizing pellet-loaded bladders to consolidate and/or harden composite parts. One embodiment is a method for fabricating a composite part. The method includes laying up a preform that is made of fiber reinforced material and that includes a cavity, inserting one or more bladders that are loaded with expandable pellets into the cavity, inflating the bladders in response to a triggering condition, consolidating the preform while the bladders are inflated, deflating the bladders, and removing the bladders from the cavity.

A composite material molded product has a hollow portion, a bent portion, or a curved portion in a transverse section thereof. When the composite material molded product has, for example, a bent portion, a surface on an inside of the bent portion is a pressed surface. A mold includes a pressing body that is thermally expandable and has an outer surface shape corresponding to a shape of a pressed surface, and a mold main body including a cavity accommodating the laminate and the pressing body inside, the cavity including an inner surface shape corresponding to a shape other than the pressed surface. The cavity is sealed in a state that the pressing body is disposed in the cavity. The laminate is accommodated in a molding space formed between an inner surface of the cavity and an outer surface of the pressing body.