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 for producing carbon fiber reinforced resin molded article of the present invention includes press-molding a mixture-made body including carbon fiber and thermoplastic resin to produce the article that is composed of CFRP. The method further includes perforating pores into the mixture-made body, before press-molding mentioned above. As, in perforating, at least the pores are formed so as to penetrate through a hardened part of a surface of the mixture-made body, the article made of the CFRP that does not have poor appearance, such as whitening or marble pattern, can be produced.

An FRP material has a circular arc part, and a member fixed to the circular arc part. The FRP forming system has a portion-pressing device, a member positioning mechanism, and a transport device configured to form the FRP material as a single body of a circular arc-shaped FRP part. The FRP material may comprise a single layer prepreg or a plurality of prepregs that have been layered. The portion-pressing device has upper and lower molds sandwiching a portion of the FRP material in a radial direction orthogonal to the circular arc part, and compresses intermittently a portion of the FRP part. The member positioning mechanism locates the position of the member relatively to the upper or lower mold. The transport device moves the portion of the FRP material that is compressed by the portion-pressing device. The portion-pressing and the transport are repeated to form the FRP part.

A production method of producing a fiber-reinforced resin molding includes: kneading, in a kneader, molten thermoplastic resin with opened reinforcing fibers obtained by opening a bundle of reinforcing fibers, to produce a kneaded mixture; and placing or charging the kneaded mixture into a molding device to produce a fiber-reinforced resin molding.

An apparatus including 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.

A method for bending towpreg to yield a desired amount of axial force during bending to form a preform is provided including inserting towpreg into a bending die, applying an initial axial force to the towpreg, and moving the gripped end of the towpreg in an involute path using a cam, a cam follower and a gripper, the gripper disposed on the cam follower. Axial force between the gripped end and the stationary end of the towpreg from a point where the towpreg contacts a surface of the bending die is applied tangent to the surface of the bending die while bending the towpreg. An apparatus for bending towpreg to form a preform is provided including bending dies disposed in fixed positions, and a follower. Axial involute cam mechanism having a drive shaft, a cam, a cam follower that follows an involute path around the cam, a gripper and a clamp.

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 thermoforming method includes heating a thermoplastic panel to a forming temperature, and compressing the thermoplastic panel between a first tool and a second tool, wherein the thermoplastic panel is bent about a first axis extending along a first direction with respect to the thermoplastic panel in response to being compressed between the first tool and the second tool. The thermoplastic panel may then be cooled to a hardened temperature and disposed between a third tool and a fourth tool. The method further includes heating the thermoplastic panel to the forming temperature, and compressing the thermoplastic panel between the third tool and the fourth tool, wherein the thermoplastic panel is bent about a second axis extending along a second direction with respect to the thermoplastic panel in response to being compressed between the third tool and the fourth tool.

A method for bending towpreg to yield a desired amount of axial force during bending to form a preform is provided including inserting towpreg into a bending die, applying an initial axial force to the towpreg, and moving the gripped end of the towpreg in an involute path using a cam, a cam follower and a gripper, the gripper disposed on the cam follower. Axial force between the gripped end and the stationary end of the towpreg from a point where the towpreg contacts a surface of the bending die is applied tangent to the surface of the bending die while bending the towpreg. An apparatus for bending towpreg to form a preform is provided including bending dies disposed in fixed positions, and a follower. Axial involute cam mechanism having a drive shaft, a cam, a cam follower that follows an involute path around the cam, a gripper and a clamp.

A method comprises the following steps: providing a pre-processed element made of at least one polymeric material, introducing the pre-processed element in a female mould part having a forming cavity, shaping the pre-processed element between the female mould part and a male mould part, the female mould part and the male mould part being movable relative to one another along a moulding direction so as to form a concave object from the pre-processed element.

The forming cavity has a transversal dimension measured transversely relative to the moulding direction, the forming cavity further having a transition zone in which the transversal dimension passes from a larger value to a smaller value, the forming cavity further having a bottom.

During the introducing step, the pre-processed element is placed on the transition zone, so that the pre-processed element rests on the transition zone at a distance from the bottom of the forming cavity.