A method of preparing a woven fabric material for use in a ceramic matrix composite includes passing a desized woven fabric tape having a first inter-filament spacing through a dispersal module configured to transform the desized woven fabric tape into a dispersed woven fabric tape having a second inter-filament spacing greater than the first inter-filament spacing. The dispersal module includes a first charging element with a charged surface and disposed to apply an electric charge to the desized woven fabric tape. The method further includes applying a polymer binder to the dispersed woven fabric tape to create a stabilized woven fabric tape having the second inter-filament spacing.

A method of preparing a woven fabric material for use in a ceramic matrix composite includes securing a woven fabric tape in tension across a roller, the roller having an outer surface with a plurality of spiked protrusions extending radially therefrom, each of the plurality of spiked protrusions having a diameter between 10 microns and 500 microns. The method further includes passing the woven fabric along the roller, such that the roller rotates with the passing of the woven fabric tape, thereby impinging the spiked protrusions into the woven fabric tape, and separating filaments within tows of the woven fabric tape by penetration of at least one of the spiked protrusions into the woven fabric tape, such that filaments within various tows of the woven fabric tape are pushed apart to form a separated woven fabric tape with a greater number of tows per unit area than the woven fabric tape.

A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The system may include a support, and a print head connected to and moveable by the support. The print head may have a first tool center point associated with discharge of a first material, and a second tool center point associated with discharge of a second material that is a type different than the first material.

A fiber body forming method includes a step of applying, to a fiber body containing fibers, a liquid containing a thermoplastic resin which binds the fibers; and a step of heating the fiber body to which the liquid is applied, and in this method, the thermoplastic resin has a glass transition temperature of 10° C. or less, and the thermoplastic resin in the liquid has an average particle diameter of 30 nm or less.

A method of fabricating a laminar composite article, includes steps of spreading a plurality of continuous fiber tows from a spool to form a first ply layer having a substantially consistent layer thickness, applying a binder to the spread plurality of continuous fiber tows, curing the plurality of continuous fiber tows and applied binder at a cure temperature less than a thermal decomposition temperature of the binder, and processing the cured plurality of continuous fiber tows at a post-cure temperature greater than the cure temperature.

A system is disclosed for additive manufacturing of a composite structure. The system may include a support, and a print head connected to and moveable by the support. The print head may include an outlet configured to discharge a continuous reinforcement at least partially coated in a matrix. The outlet may be moveable relative to the support. The print head may also include at least one actuator configured to cause movement of the outlet relative to the support.

Provided are treated carbon fibers particularly suited for making thermoplastic composites with polyamide resin, and methods to make such treated carbon fibers.

A method for producing products made of composite material, including the following operating steps: placing between a first mould and at least a second mould at least one layer of composite material fibre fabric and at least a first layer of composite material fibres, wherein a layer of non-polymerized, composite material resin, substantially free of hardener, is placed between the fabric layer and the first mould; injecting resin and hardener between the first mould and the second mould to impregnate the layer and the first fibre layer with the injected resin and polymerizing the injected resin and the resin layer with the injected hardener. A semi-finished item which can be used in this method and to a product made using this method and/or with this semi-finished item.

A continuous device (1) is provided for impregnating, in a single step, strands or ribbons of natural fibers (100) with a specific aqueous polymer dispersion to consolidate the fibers at the core of the fiber bundle and to improve their mechanical strength without any need for twisting. The device includes a stretching component (10) for elongating by the strand or the ribbon of natural fibers by stretching to give them a required yarn count, an impregnating component (20) for impregnating the fibers with the aqueous dispersion, a shaper for shaping/calibrating the wrung fibers, a dryer (40) for drying the shaped/calibrated fibers, and a conditioner (50) for conditioning the dried fibers to transform them into yarn or ribbon.

A method of processing a carbon fiber tow includes the steps of providing a carbon fiber tow made of a plurality of carbon filaments, depositing a sizing composition at spaced-apart sizing sites along a length of the tow, leaving unsized interstitial regions of the tow, and cross-cutting the tow into a plurality of segments. Each segment includes at least a portion of one of the sizing sites and at least a portion of at least one of the unsized regions of the tow, the unsized region including and end portion of the segment.