Continuous compression molding machines (CCMMs) and methods of continuous compression molding a consolidated thermoplastic matrix composite material are disclosed herein. The CCMMs include a mold, a heat zone heating structure, a consolidation zone heating structure, and a stress relaxation zone heating structure. The CCMMs also include a press structure, a demold structure, and a supply structure. The methods include providing a thermoplastic matrix composite material (TMCM) that includes a thermoplastic material to a CCMM. During the providing, the methods also include heating the TMCM within a heat zone of the CCMM, cooling and consolidating the TMCM within a consolidation zone of the CCMM, relaxing stress within the TMCM within a stress relaxation zone of the CCMM, demolding the TMCM within a demold zone of the CCMM at a mold temperature that is greater than a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic material, and periodically compressing the TMCM.

A process for manufacturing floor tiles comprising the following steps: scattering granules (62) of a thermoplastic material on a conveying member (52) in order to obtain a first layer of granules (64), superimposing several sheets (5B, 5C) in order to obtain a plurality of adjacent sheets on the first layer of granules (64), each of the sheets containing at least 50 wt % of glass fibers, scattering granules (70) of a thermoplastic material on the uppermost sheet (5B) in order to obtain a second layer of granules (72), pressing and heating the first layer of granules, the plurality of adjacent sheets and the second layer of granules, melting or at least softening the first layer of granules and the second layer of granules, the plurality of sheets being at least partly impregnated by the thermoplastic material of the first layer of granules and of the second layer of granules in order to obtain a core layer after cooling, and using the core layer to produce at least a slab, and using the slab to obtain the floor tiles.

A method is provided for manufacturing a composite body. A first longitudinal portion of a continuous length of prepreg material is shaped using a first die of a compression molding tool to provide a shaped first longitudinal portion of the continuous length of prepreg material. The shaped first longitudinal portion is consolidated using the compression molding tool to provide a first portion of the composite body. The first portion of the composite body is moved out of the compression molding tool. The first die is swapped for a replacement first die. A second longitudinal portion of the continuous length of prepreg material is shaped using the replacement first die of the compression molding tool to provide a shaped second longitudinal portion of the continuous length of prepreg material. The shaped second longitudinal portion is consolidated using the compression molding tool to provide a second portion of the composite body.

An air/gas filter medium is comprised of a substantially homogeneous core layer of feather down clusters held together by a binder to form a 3-dimensional interconnected filament structure throughout the core. The filament structure forms air pocket and connect and trap the feather down clusters which form minute air pockets between its filaments and hairs in which undesirable substances from an air/gas flow therethrough are captured. An air permeable scrim sheet is retained on a surface of the down cluster core. The down cluster core is compressed to a predetermined density to modify the average size of said minute air pockets to trap known undesirable substances from the air/gas flow.

A method and apparatus are used to pre-consolidate and de-bulk a thermoplastic composite ply stack prior to full consolidation and forming to the final part shape. Pre-consolidation and de-bulking is achieved by heating the ply stack to a temperature below the melting point of the thermoplastic in order to soften the plies, and then compress the ply stack.

Printable magnetic receptive composite sheets are made by calendering a thin layer of a magnetic composition and bonding it to a top printable layer on one or both sides of the magnetic layer wherein the calendered layer has a thickness up to 10 mils.

A method includes processing multiple macromolecular staples to successively produce a macromolecular sheet body, multiple silks and multiple sheet particles. The macromolecular sheet body contains multiple district camouflages and is processed by edge cutting to form multiple color strips. The color strips, the silks and the sheet particles are processed and attached to the surface of the macromolecular sheet body, so that the surface of the macromolecular sheet body forms the district camouflages, the thread camouflages and the spot camouflages. Finally, the macromolecular sheet body is vulcanized or solidified in a foam molding zone, to form an elastic mat with a mixed color type.

A press for making a continuous sheet from composite material has upper and lower press belts having respective lower and upper reaches that vertically spacedly confront one another across a press gap having an upstream inlet end and a downstream outlet end, and that have transversely spaced outer edges extending in the direction. The belts are advanced direction and thereby draw a mat of the composite material in the inlet end, compress it into the sheet, and expelling the sheet from the downstream end. Two transversely spaced elastic seal strips extend in the direction in the gap and are each engaged between a respective one of the outer edges of the upper belt and the respective outer edge of the lower belt. Each belt has at each of the edges a surface in engagement with the respective edge strip and having an average peak-to-valley height of less than 1 m.

A full body textured material includes a textured substrate, the internal texture of the substrate extends to the surface, the components of the substrate comprise a thermoplastic polymer and a filler, the filler is one of an inorganic filler or a natural plant fiber filler, and the texture is obtained by performing distribution by a digital distribution machine. Compared with sintered stone, the present disclosure has the characteristics of low cutting difficulty, low investment costs, and low production energy consumption.

Continuous compression molding machines (CCMMs) and methods of continuous compression molding a consolidated thermoplastic matrix composite material are disclosed herein. The CCMMs include a mold, a heat zone heating structure, a consolidation zone heating structure, and a stress relaxation zone heating structure. The CCMMs also include a press structure, a demold structure, and a supply structure. The methods include providing a thermoplastic matrix composite material (TMCM) that includes a thermoplastic material to a CCMM. During the providing, the methods also include heating the TMCM within a heat zone of the CCMM, cooling and consolidating the TMCM within a consolidation zone of the CCMM, relaxing stress within the TMCM within a stress relaxation zone of the CCMM, demolding the TMCM within a demold zone of the CCMM at a mold temperature that is greater than a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic material, and periodically compressing the TMCM.