The present disclosure provides an apparatus that includes a fiber gun. In an embodiment, the apparatus may controllably cut one or more fibers into one or more fiber segments. In an embodiment, the apparatus may controllably shape one or more fibers into different shapes (e.g., from loops into substantially straight fibers). In an embodiment, the apparatus may controllably position the one or more fiber segments onto a supporting member (e.g., a composite component). For example, the apparatus may include a robot that may controllably move the fiber gun relative to a supporting member and align the fiber gun such that the one or more fiber segments are controllably positioned on the supporting member. The apparatus may further include a controller that at least partially controls operation of the apparatus.

Systems and methods for developing a composite material are disclosed. The system can include a plurality of particles and a plurality of filaments. The plurality of particles can generate mechanical force in response to changing relative humidity, and the plurality of filaments can transfer the mechanical force throughout the composite material.

A method for making large vehicle body sections, skins, and panels, including three dimensional sections, skins, and panels, using carbon fiber filaments comingled with thermoplastic polymer filaments to form comingled fibers. The first step is the manufacture of a composite preform using the comingled fibers. The comingled fibers are chopped by a fiber chopper unit mounted on a robot arm to create chopped comingled fibers that are sprayed and set on a preform mold to create a comingled fiber preform. The second step is forming the comingled fiber preform into a composite laminate using heat and pressure to consolidate the comingled fibers on a tooling surface. The disclosed method can be used for making large and contoured thermoplastic composite panels, skins, or sections suitable for light aircraft, automobiles, eVTOL's and other panel applications at a high production rate.

A method produces a fiber-reinforced body component for a motor vehicle. The body component has at least one opening, in particular one door opening or one window opening. The method includes at least the following steps: providing the body component; applying a reinforcing element made of fiber composite material having reinforcing fibers embedded in a matrix, in order to stiffen the body component, the matrix being in an uncured state, and the reinforcing element being applied to an opening frame of the opening, which opening frame is formed by the body component.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus that includes a fiber gun. In an embodiment, the apparatus may controllably cut one or more fibers into one or more fiber segments. In an embodiment, the apparatus may controllably shape one or more fibers into different shapes (e.g., from loops into substantially straight fibers). In an embodiment, the apparatus may controllably position the one or more fiber segments onto a supporting member (e.g., a composite component). For example, the apparatus may include a robot that may controllably move the fiber gun relative to a supporting member and align the fiber gun such that the one or more fiber segments are controllably positioned on the supporting member. The apparatus may further include a controller that at least partially controls operation of the apparatus.

A composite core material and methods for making same are disclosed herein. The composite core material comprises mineral filler discontinuous portions disposed in a continuous encapsulating resin. Further, the method for forming a composite core material comprises the steps of forming a mixture comprising mineral filler, an encapsulating prepolymer, and a polymerization catalyst; disposing the mixture onto a moving belt; and polymerizing said encapsulating prepolymer to form a composite core material comprising mineral filler discontinuous portions disposed in a continuous encapsulating resin.

A main flooring part for a vehicle comprising an aesthetic surface layer and a spacer layer, whereby both layers are consolidated and laminated to the adjacent layer to form the flooring part, characterised in that both layers comprise pulled fibers from textile waste and a binder, and whereby the aesthetic surface layer is thermally compressed to form a stiff layer and whereby the fibers of the surface of the aesthetic surface layer are heat set to smooth the aesthetic surface.

A method of preparing an aerogel composite, which includes a wetting pretreatment step for suppressing the generation of air bubbles in a fibrous material such as a mat, and a step of impregnating the fibrous material with a precursor by injecting the precursor in a vessel under a reduced pressure. The method provides a high quality, high insulation aerogel-impregnated composite without air bubbles.

A method is provided for forming a near-net thermoplastic composite component includes co-spraying a mixture comprising a thermoplastic polymer material and a chopped reinforcing material deposited onto at least one region associated with a tool having a first temperature and defining a near-net component shape. The mixture and adjacent tool is heated to a second temperature while the mixture is on the tool. The first temperature is below the solidification temperature of the thermoplastic polymer material and the second temperature is above the solidification temperature. Then, the mixture is exposed to a negative pressure to promote removal of gases from the mixture and put under compressive force to densify the mixture. The thermoplastic polymer material melts and flows. The tool is cooled to the first temperature and removing the mixture to form the near-net thermoplastic composite component having randomly oriented chopped reinforcement material distributed within a thermoplastic polymer matrix.

A composite core material and methods for making same are disclosed herein. The composite core material comprises mineral filler discontinuous portions disposed in a continuous encapsulating resin. Further, the method for forming a composite core material comprises the steps of forming a mixture comprising mineral filler, an encapsulating prepolymer, and a polymerization catalyst; disposing the mixture onto a moving belt; and polymerizing said encapsulating prepolymer to form a composite core material comprising mineral filler discontinuous portions disposed in a continuous encapsulating resin.