A structural automotive sub frame component (10) that is formed from a sheet molding compound having carbon fibers. The three dimensional structure is formed of a resin fiber mixture having a resin material infused with carbon fibers having a length of about 12.5 mm (0.5 inches) dispersed throughout the structural automotive sub frame component (10) and an even manner such that there are no resin rich areas or knit lines present. The absence of knit lines provides a structural automotive sub frame component (10) that has a high degree of flex modulus, tensile strength properties well also providing a greater breaking load property due to the absence of knit lines.

Method of moulding a moulding material to form a moulded part of carbon fibre-reinforced resin matrix composite material in which a sheet moulding compound is moulded which can provide panels, for example for use as vehicle body panels, which have the combination of very low thickness, very light weight, very low warping and surface defects, and very low anisotropy with regard to localised fibre and resin distribution and their associated appearance and mechanical properties.

The invention relates to a blank for compression moulding a part in a compression mould comprising one or more moulding recesses, said blank comprising a body formed from a first moulding compound comprising a fibrous reinforcement material and a thermo-curable resin material, and a region located on the surface of the body formed from a second moulding compound; said second moulding compound comprising a fibrous reinforcement material and a thermo-curable resin material, and exhibiting increased flow at one or more temperatures between 20 C. and the cured Tg of the first moulding compound compared to the flow of the first moulding compound at the same temperature.

A fiber block molding apparatus comprising: a mold having a lower part and an upper part forming between them a cavity for forming a fiber blank into a fiber block article upon closing the mold; a conveyor system for receiving the fiber blank to be molded at a receiving position, transporting the fiber blank via a heater for activation of a binding agent, and delivering the heated fiber blank into the lower part of the mold at a delivery end of the conveyor system, and a horizontal position shifting arrangement for shifting the horizontal position of the delivery end of the conveyor system relative to the lower part of the mold between a first and a second position to lay the fiber blank on the lower part of the mold.

A process of compression molding an article from a curable resin is provided that includes opening a mold to an open position by displacing an upper die having an upper mold surface from a lower die having a lower mold surface. Resin is placed a mold surface and the dies are closed to an intermediate start position at a rate of from 1 to 10 cm/sec. The dies are then closed to a start position at a rate of between 25 and 60% of the rate of closure to the intermediate position. A shroud volume is evacuated for at least 3 seconds to a reduced pressure of less than 0.16 atmospheres while continuing to press toward a mold cavity volume at a rate of between 12 and 30% of the rate of closure to the intermediate start. The reduced pressure is removed as the full compression is applied.

Described herein is a process for the production of a functionalized, three-dimensional molding in a mold made of a composite including at least one fiber material, at least one compound V1 and at least one compound V2, where the compounds V1 and V2 crosslink with one another via reaction in the mold and thus harden to give a thermoset. Also described herein are the functionalized, three-dimensional molding per se, and use thereof by way of example in motor-vehicle construction and/or in the furniture industry.

A pre-impregnated part includes a main layer and a reinforcing layer. The main layer is made from a first composite material including a first matrix made from thermoplastic material, and first reinforcing fibers embedded in the first matrix. The reinforcing layer is made from a second composite material including a second matrix made from thermoplastic material, and second reinforcing fibers embedded in the second matrix. The pre-impregnated part has a flattened shape of at least a portion of a finished part to be manufactured from said pre-impregnated part, and a surface of the main layer is smaller than a developed surface of the finished part to be manufactured.

Methods and systems are provided for generating a mold. In one embodiment, a method includes: determining, by a processor, a fiber orientation for a plurality of points in a part; determining, by the processor, a distortion value based on the fiber orientations; and generating, by the processor, mold dimensions based on the distortion values.

The present application discloses a manufacturing method of a color decorative plate. Firstly, decorative fiber cloth is immersed and surfacing material is prepared, including steps of: adding various auxiliaries to unsaturated polyester resin; uniformly mixing to form resin paste, wherein the auxiliaries contain an initiator, a mold release agent, an accelerator, a coupling agent, a crosslinking monomer and styrene; uniformly coating the resin paste on the decorative fiber cloth; precuring and drying at 105 C.-130 C. to produce the surfacing material; and compression moulding; feeding a SMC into a mould; and laying the surfacing material on the SMC in the mould for integral compression molding. In the compression molding process, a mold cavity is at an upper part and a mold core is at a lower part. The SMC is used as a structural layer, and the surfacing material is attached to a surface of the structural layer.

Disclosed herein is a method of forming a composite part. The method includes heating an unconsolidated mat including a first thermoplastic, a second thermoplastic, and reinforcing fibers to a first temperature. The first thermoplastic includes a first melting temperature and the second thermoplastic includes a second melting temperature greater than the first melting temperature. The first temperature is greater than the second melting temperature. The method includes compressing the unconsolidated mat, while heated, into a composite fiber-reinforced consolidated sheet. The method includes reheating the composite fiber-reinforced consolidated sheet to a second temperature, wherein the second temperature is above the first melting temperature and below the second melting temperature and, while reheated, forming the composite fiber-reinforced consolidated sheet into a desired shape.