An imprint apparatus that forms a pattern of an imprint material on a substrate with use of a mold includes a mold holding unit configured to hold the mold, a suction unit provided at the mold holding unit and configured to suction a gas in a space in which the mold and the substrate face each other, a detector configured to detect particles included in the gas suctioned by the suction unit, and a control unit configured to perform error processing depending on a result of detection performed by the detector.

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.

A method of producing thermoplastic resin composite material in which a main base material containing thermoplastic resin and a sheet-like shaped auxiliary base material are integrally molded and are made into composite material. The production method includes the steps of: heating the auxiliary base material (step S1); disposing the heated auxiliary base material in a mold (step S2); disposing the main base material in the mold via the auxiliary base material (step S3); closing the mold, and pressing together and integrally molding the auxiliary base material and the main base material (step S4); and taking out the integrally-molded thermoplastic resin composite material from the mold.

A method for manufacturing a preform includes heating one or more layers of fibrous material containing a plurality of discontinuous structural fibers and a predetermined percentage of thermoplastic material to a first temperature above a softening temperature of the thermoplastic material, forming the one or more layers of fibrous material containing the thermoplastic material into a predetermined shape including at least one raised or depressed region, and cooling the one or more layers of fibrous material having the predetermined shape to a second temperature below the softening temperature to harden the thermoplastic material. The predetermined shape of the one or more layers of fibrous material is retained by the hardened thermoplastic material, and the cooled one or more layers of fibrous material containing the thermoplastic material are permeable.

A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes pre-impregnating carbon reinforcing fibers with a polymeric material to form one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands having at least 30% of the fibers protected by the polymeric material. The method further includes storing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands in bulk. The method also includes introducing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands into an extruder, forming a molding compound from the one or more pre-impregnated continuous strands, dispensing the molding compound from the extruder, and using the molding compound to produce a part.

A method of forming a fiber-reinforced molding compound. The method includes pre-impregnating reinforcing fibers with a polymeric material to form one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes. The method further includes storing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes in bulk, and introducing the one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes into an extruder. The method further includes forming a molding compound from the one or more pre-impregnated continuous tapes, dispensing the molding compound from the extruder, and using the molding compound to produce a part.

To provide a method of manufacturing a press molding by molding a molding material comprising reinforced fibers and a thermoplastic resin by a cold press method. The method of manufacturing a press molding comprising reinforced fibers and a thermoplastic resin, includes the steps of: holding the molding material heated at a temperature not lower than the softening temperature with a plurality of grippers installed on a carrier; carrying the molding material between the upper mold and the lower mold of a mold for molding; pushing the molding material with pushers to preform it at a predetermined preforming rate; and press molding the preformed molding by closing the upper mold and the lower mold and applying pressure.

An object of the present invention is to provide a core member for a sandwich panel and a method of forming the core member for the sandwich panel which are capable of attaining a desired profile, a desired pattern on its surface, and a desired inner structure in accordance with an application of the sandwich panel. According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a thermoplastic resin core member interposed between two resin skin sheets comprising a closed hollow portion located to be inside of a desired position in accordance with an application of the sandwiched panel, and it is formed by clamping parison of a molten thermoplastic resin positioned to be between two split molds so as to exhibit a desired profile and/or a surface shape, two surfaces against each of which the molten parison is pressed to form an adhesive surface on which the corresponding resin skin sheet is formed.

End of arm tooling system and a method for manufacture is provided. The end or arm tooling system provides automated material handling, part manipulation, pre-forming and transferring of a pre-impregnated carbon fiber material. A robot is connected to end of arm tooling for automated material handling and transfer operations from at least a lower preform tool system where light compression is applied to a molding press. The end or arm tooling system includes a cured silicone membrane as well as vacuum and air blow off, allowing for robotically preforming, picking up and dropping-off pre-impregnated carbon fiber materials which are notoriously sticky and difficult to handle.

An apparatus includes:

a co-extrusion device for extruding a multi-layer structure having at least one primary layer and at least one secondary layer, so that the multi-layer structure leaves the co-extrusion device along an exit direction,

a mould provided with a pair of elements, at least one of the elements being movable towards the other in a moulding direction, so as to compression mould an object from a multi-layer dose which was severed from the multi-layer structure;

a transport device for carrying the dose towards the mould;

an arrangement for modifying orientation of the dose while the dose is being transported by the transport device, so that the dose is introduced into the mould with an orientation in which the secondary layer extends transversely to the moulding direction.