An infusion terminal block that secures to a vacuum bag and receives a resin hose includes a prismatic body, a tube opening, and a plurality of channels. The tube opening that receives the resin hose concentrically traverses through the prismatic body from a bottom surface of the prismatic body. A stopper is laterally connected within the tube opening to stop the resin hose from touching a laminated surface. The plurality of channels traverses into the prismatic body from the bottom surface and in fluid communication with the tube opening. Resultantly, resin that is discharged through the resin hose travel through the tube opening and radially discharged into fibers thus forming the laminated surface. The infusion terminal block can optionally include a clip to secure the prismatic body to the laminate and other ancillary products.

A method for forming a shaped composite structure. The method includes laying a composite laminate stack onto a mold, where the composite laminate stack comprises fabric laminate and resin and wherein the mold presents a predetermined shape, draping a vacuum film comprising polyethylene onto the composite laminate stack, thereby establishing an evacuatable volume between the vacuum film and the mold, applying suction to the evacuatable volume between the mold and the vacuum film to establish at least a partial vacuum within the evacuatable volume, thereby compressing the composite laminate stack via pressure applied to the vacuum film responsive to the at least partial vacuum within the evacuatable volume, and heating the composite laminate stack while applying suction to the evacuatable volume, thereby at least partially consolidating the laminate stack.

A method of producing an FRP molded article, the method being suitable for producing a thick FRP molded article, includes: placing a reinforced fiber base material in a cavity of a forming mold, such that a direction in which fiber sheets are laminated together (a sheet lamination direction) is a horizontal direction; impregnating a resin into the reinforced fiber base material by injecting the resin into the cavity in an anti-gravitational direction from an injection port provided below the reinforced fiber base material placed in the cavity; applying pressure in the sheet lamination direction to the reinforced fiber base material impregnated with the resin; and curing the resin impregnated in the reinforced fiber base material.

The invention relates to a device for the infiltration of fibrous material with resin for the production of a fiber composite component, comprising a mold tool with a cavity enclosed by at least two tool parts, wherein the mold tool is designed for a relative movement of the at least two tool parts, in such a manner that space can be provided inside the cavity, in a first tool position, to hold the fibrous material, and additional space can be provided to accommodate resin, and the size of the cavity can then be reduced by a movement of the mold tool from the first tool position into a second tool position. According to the invention, a flow promoter is included in the cavity, comprising at least one first layer and one second layer, connected to each other in an edge region of the flow promoter to enclose a flow space, wherein the first layer is impermeable to resin while the second layer provides an outlet for guiding resin out of the flow space and into the fibrous material, and wherein the flow space of the flow promoter is filled with resin and/or the flow promoter has an inlet for conveying resin into the flow space. The invention further relates to a corresponding infiltration process and to a use of the device and/or the method.

A resin-infusion system for manufacture of a composite part includes an inflatable rigid bladder defining at least one infusion-flow medium and a preform lay-up formed on the bladder such that the infusion-flow medium defines space between the bladder and preform lay-up. The system also includes a mold into which the bladder and preform lay-up are placed such that the preform lay-up is constrained against the mold a resin injection system configured to feed resin into and to flow along the infusion-flow medium and then be infused into the preform lay-up. The bladder is configured to expand against the infused preform lay-up during curing such that the infusion-flow medium is smoothed resulting in a smooth surface of the finished part.

The invention relates to an apparatus for fine and controlled adjustment of an injection molding process and a related industrial process.

The apparatus (1) has a sealed mold (2) supplied with fluid reactive resin via a supply inlet (8) and by means of a mixing and injection head (9) so as to impregnate with said resin fibers of composite material loaded inside a cavity (6) of the mold (2) and wherein at least one storage container (10) having an inlet/outlet opening (11) in fluid communication with an outlet (13) of said injection head (9) is provided so as to store a predefined quantity of fluid resin inside a storage chamber (16) prior to completion of the injection phase. Advantageously, the storage container (10) is a cylinder (18) defining internally a storage chamber (16) which houses slidably inside it a plunger (21) operated by an actuator (25) configured as a cylinder/piston assembly arranged as a coaxial extension of said cylinder (18) and comprising an actuating piston (15) having a stem (22) coinciding with the stem of said plunger (21); the cylinder (18) of the storage chamber (16) and the cylinder (14) of said actuator (25) having cross-sections different from each other.

A tool and its method of use, where a plurality of grooves are formed into the tool surface of the tool. The grooves have different cross-section dimensions, different lengths, different configurations and/or different patterns that function as tool surface resin distribution grooves. The grooves distribute and deliver resin supplied to the tool surface throughout a dry fiber composite layup positioned on the tool surface in resin infusion and resin transfer molding. The grooves are formed in the tool surface extending to discrete areas on the tool surface to direct a flow of liquid resin to the discrete areas and infuse the dry fiber composite layup with the liquid resin at those discrete areas of the tool surface.

A tool and its method of use, where at least one channel is formed in a tool surface of a tool and one or more grooves are formed in at least one surface of a mandrel that is dimensioned to be positioned in the channel. The grooves formed in the mandrel and the channel in the tool surface distribute and deliver resins supplied to the tool surface through layers of fiber reinforced material positioned on the tool surface and in the channel, and position over the mandrel. The grooves formed in the mandrel and the channel formed in the tool surface direct a flow of liquid resin and infuse the layers of fiber reinforced material with the liquid resin.

A tool and its method of use, where a plurality of grooves and/or a channel are formed into the tool surface of the tool. The grooves and/or channel distribute and deliver resin supplied to the tool surface throughout a dry fiber composite layup positioned on the tool surface in resin infusion and resin transfer molding. The grooves are formed in the tool surface extending to discrete areas on the tool surface to direct a flow of liquid resin to the discrete areas and infuse the dry fiber composite layup with the liquid resin at those discrete areas of the tool surface. When a channel is formed in the tool surface, a perforated plate extends over the channel to prevent fibers from the preform from being pulled from the preform and into the liquid resin flowing through the channel.

A method for forming a shaped composite structure. The method includes laying a composite laminate stack (12) onto a mold (18), where the composite laminate stack (12) comprises fabric laminate (14,16) and resin and wherein the mold (18) presents a predetermined shape, draping a vacuum film (22) comprising polyethylene onto the composite laminate stack (12), thereby establishing an evacuatable volume between the vacuum film (22) and the mold (18), applying suction to the evacuatable volume between the mold (18) and the vacuum film (22) to establish at least a partial vacuum within the evacuatable volume, thereby compressing the composite laminate stack (12) via pressure applied to the vacuum film (22) responsive to the at least partial vacuum within the evacuatable volume, and heating the composite laminate stack (12) while applying suction to the evacuatable volume, thereby at least partially consolidating the laminate stack (12).