Provided are a molded body and a method for manufacturing a molded body, the molded body comprising: reinforced fibers having a weight average fiber length of 1 mm or more and 100 mm or less: and a thermoplastic resin, wherein the molded body is provided with a first main shape surface part, a second main shape surface part connected to the first main shape surface part in a crossing state, and a connection surface part connected to both the first main shape surface part and the second main shape surface part, the connection surface part protrudes from the first main shape surface part and the second main shape surface part on a valley side formed by the first main shape surface part and the second main shape surface part, and reinforced fibers are continuously dispersed in an in-plane direction at a boundary region between the first main shape surface part and the connection surface part and a boundary region between the second main shape surface part and the connection surface part.

A forming assembly configured to form a wick is disclosed. The forming assembly includes an expandable tube and a forming shell assembly. The expandable tube is hydraulically expandable to an expanded configuration. A wick mesh is configured to be wrapped about the expandable tube. The forming shell assembly includes a first forming shell comprising a first recess defined therein and a second forming shell comprising a second recess defined therein. The first recess and the second recess cooperate to define an outer diameter of the wick. The expandable tube and the wick mesh are positionable between the first recess and the second recess. The expandable tube and the forming shell assembly are configured to deform the wick mesh and form the wick based on the expandable tube hydraulically expanding towards the expanded configuration.

Some embodiments of a compression mold for forming a rib-and-sheet part includes a mold cavity and a mold insert. A sheet is placed in the mold cavity, and the mold insert is placed on the sheet. A preform assemblage is placed in a gap that is formed between the mold insert and the wall of the mold cavity. A mold core is biased above the preform assemblage, prior to molding operations, via a compression spring.

A method of manufacturing a moulded article from first and second moulding compounds includes attaching a first moulding component to a carrier tool, placing the carrier tool and the attached first moulding component in a mould, applying a first moulding process, removing the carrier tool, placing a second moulding component in the mould, and applying a second moulding process to shape the first and second moulding components and bond the first moulding component to the second moulding component. A moulded article is also disclosed.

A method for determining pane thicknesses and a wedge angle of a coated windshield for a projection arrangement of a head-up display. A wedge angle and a combination of glass thicknesses are determined by means of which the glass ghost image and the layer ghost image are optimally reduced. The method proceeds from a starting thickness of the two glass panes of the windshield for which that wedge angle is determined, in an iterative process, that represents an optimal compromise between the minimization of the glass ghost image and the minimization of the layer ghost image. Then, the glass thicknesses are determined varied within a specified range for each combination of the optimal wedge angles. Thus, it is possible, iteratively, to identify that combination of glass thicknesses that results in the least occurrence of ghost images, in addition to the associated optimal wedge angle.

A compression molding device configured for the production of a part in composite material starting from a plate in composite with a thermoplastic matrix is described. The device comprises: a fixed support structure; an upper half-die provided with a first contoured surface corresponding to the profile of an upper surface of the part to be made; a lower half-die provided with a second contoured surface corresponding to the profile of a lower surface of the part to be made; holding means carried by the support structure and configured to hold the plate in a position interposed between the half-dies; and moving means for moving at least one of the half-dies from and towards the plate. The holding means comprise two or more releasable grippers gripping by friction distinct portions of the peripheral edge of the plate and configured to completely release or allow the complete release of the plate.

A mold for molding a reinforced preform having at least two apertures therein includes first and second mold halves arranged with their respective first and second molding surfaces facing each other. A first emitter is disposed in the first mold half and is configured to emit light therefrom. A first receiver is disposed in the second mold half and is configured to receive light from the first emitter and produce a first signal indicative of the light received from the first emitter. A second emitter is disposed in one of the first and second mold halves and is configured to emit light therefrom. A second receiver is disposed in the other of the first and second mold halves and is configured to receive light from the second emitter and produce a second signal indicative of the light received from the second emitter.

A method for forming an object comprises the steps of: providing a mould comprising a first and a second mould part opposite to each other, a part selected from between the first mould part and the second mould part comprising a plurality of sectors for shaping a lateral portion of the object, the sectors delimiting a variable-volume forming region of the mould; positioning a dosed amount of mouldable material between the first and second mould parts while the mould is in an open position; displacing the first mould part and the second mould part towards each other in a moulding direction, to define between the first mould part and the second mould part a closed forming chamber bringing into contact respective abutment surfaces of the first mould part and the second mould part, the abutment surfaces extending transversely to the moulding direction.

A wrinkle removal plate can maintain manufacturing accuracy while significantly reducing costs. A wrinkle removal plate for use in a press machine that molds a workpiece into a drawn product having a desired shape by press molding that uses a pair of molds comprising a first mold provided with a cavity and a second mold provided with a core, wherein the wrinkle removal plate is positioned at corner parts, which are to be drawn, of the opposing surfaces of the cavity and core, and is formed from a plurality of wrinkle removal parts that each have arms extending in two directions along the outer periphery of the corner parts.

A method for producing textile composite material preforms, particularly with or from one or more textile semi-finished products, includes compression molding a planar structure of one or more textile composite materials. The planar structure is cut laterally into textile composite material sections prior to compression molding and these cut textile composite material sections undergo compression molding individually or collectively and particularly with one or more other textile composite material sections such that as a result one or more textile composite material preforms are fully or partially formed.