A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes establishing a melt stream of a source material including a first polymeric material having a first melt temperature in an extruder and dosing a composite material into the melt stream. The composite material includes pre-impregnated reinforcing fibers comprising reinforcing filaments and a second polymeric material having a second melt temperature greater than the first melt temperature. The composite material has at least 30% of the reinforcing filaments protected by the polymeric material such that the polymeric material surrounds each filament completely forming a barrier between it and an adjacent filament in the at least 30% of the filaments. The temperature of the melt stream at dosing is below the second melt temperature. The method includes forming a molding compound from the source and composite materials. The method includes dispensing the molding compound to produce a part.

The present disclosure provides a method of processing shell material. Shell material processed in accordance with the methods disclosed herein may be biodegradable and may further represent a new type of useful material. By way of example, the processed shell material may be useable as a material to make useful materials, items, objects and/or tools.

Provided are a brake pad for a disc brake including a resin back plate and a friction material joined to one surface of the resin back plate, in which the resin back plate is formed of a cured product of a first thermosetting resin composition, and a metal reinforcing material is provided on a surface of the resin back plate opposite to the surface joined to the friction material or inside the resin back plate, and a method of manufacturing the brake pad.

A process and system are provided for introducing a blend of chopped and dispersed fibers on an automated production line amenable for inclusion in molding compositions as a blended fiber mat for structural applications. The blend of fibers are simultaneously supplied to an automated cutting machine illustratively including a rotary blade chopper disposed above a vortex supporting chamber. The blend of chopped fibers and binder form a chopped mat. The chopped mat has a veil mat placed on either side, and is consolidated with the veil mat using heated rollers maintained at the softening temperature of thermoplastic binder, with consolidated mats being amenable to being stored in rolls or as flat sheets. A charge pattern is made using the consolidated mat, and the charge pattern can be compression molded in a mold maintained at a temperature lower than the melting point of the thermoplastic fibers.

A process for forming a mat containing a fiber filler including providing one or more sources of extended length fiber; feeding the one or more sources of extended length fiber simultaneously to an automated cutting machine to produce chopped tow fibers; separating the chopped fiber tow into individual chopped fibers that form a fiber filler; coating the fiber filler with a binder; depositing the fiber filler on a first sheet of thermoplastic; covering the fiber filler with a second sheet of thermoplastic to form a stack; and moving the stack to a treatment chamber to form a fiber mat.

A system and method for creating a rigid foam substitute is provided. By using natural binding materials and natural fiber materials, the system and method may be used to create environmentally friendly substitutes for expanded polystyrene. The system generally comprises a processing room and molding facility. The processing room may comprise an opener, cleaner, and blower, which may be used to break up and clean the natural fiber material. The molding facility may comprise a mixer, molder, and kiln, which may be used to create casts. The method generally entails processing a natural fiber material before mixing it with a natural binding material and fluid to create a fluidic mixture, wherein said fluidic mixture is subsequently molded and cured to create a finished product.

A process and system are provided for introducing chopped and dispersed carbon fibers on an automated production line amenable for inclusion in molding compositions, including the debundling of many carbon fibers collectively forming a tow into dispersed chopped carbon fibers that form a filler that undergoes plasma treatment prior to introducing coating silanes to uniformly increase bonding sites for coupling to a thermoset matrix. By exposing carbon tow to a plasma discharge, the carbon tow debundles and is used to form sheets of molding compositions with chopped dispersed fibers added to the composition, as the sheets move along a conveyor belt on the automated production line and at least one plasma generator mounted above the conveyor belt ionizes the carbon fibers. With resort to deionized air to mix plasma-treated chopped fibers, still further dispersion results.

A method of producing a bioplastic granulate on the basis of sunflower seed shells or sunflower seed hulls. In the method, ground sunflower seed shells/sunflower seed hull material is provided, wherein the particle size is in the region of 3 mm or less, preferably in the region of 0.01 to 1 mm, preferably in the region of 0.1 to 0.3 mm. A plastic material is provided, which is compounded with the sunflower seed shells/sunflower seed hull material, wherein the compounding operation is preferably effected in an extruder, preferably a double-screw extruder. The compounded material is chopped at the end of the extruder section with a tool with the addition of water, wherein the water is at a temperature of preferably more than 50 C., preferably about 80 to 90 C., to cool down the compound material. During the compounding operation, the compounding material is subjected to atmospheric degassing and/or vacuum degassing.

There is provided a screw of an injection molding machine that can eliminate uneven distribution of reinforcing fibers without giving an excessive shear force to the reinforcing fibers. A screw is provided inside a heating cylinder of an injection molding machine to which a resin pellet is fed on an upstream side in a conveyance direction of resin and to which reinforcing fibers are fed on a downstream side therein, and includes: a first stage at which the resin pellet which is fed is melted; and a second stage that continues to the first stage, and at which molten resin and the reinforcing fibers are mixed with each other. A second flight provided at the second stage includes: a large-diameter flight with a relatively large outer diameter; and a small-diameter flight with a relatively small outer diameter.

Provided is a resin composition having high conductivity without blending a high concentration of carbon fibers. The resin composition includes a thermoplastic resin, carbon black, and carbon fibers coated with a conductive liquid, wherein a content of the thermoplastic resin is 65 mass % or more and 94.9 mass % or less, a content of the carbon black is 5.0 mass % or more and 30 mass % or less, and a content of the carbon fibers coated with a conductive liquid is 0.1 mass % or more and 5.0 mass % or less.