The present invention relates to the use of thermoplastic polymer compositions for impregnating reinforcing materials in the form of fabric or industrial fabrics for the manufacture of composite materials. The field of the invention is that of composite materials as well as molding/consolidation processes and obtained parts. The invention more particularly relates to a method of manufacturing a composite article by injection molding comprising at least the steps of introducing at least one reinforcement fabric into a preheated mold, partial closure of the mold, a temperature rise step of the mold, optionally a step of maintaining the temperature of the mold before injection of a thermoplastic polymer composition, a step of injecting a thermoplastic polymer composition into the mold, a step of mold closure to the final part thickness allowing the flow of the resin through the reinforcing fabric, a cooling step and a recovery step of the obtained composite article.

A preform for molding a dual container, in which an inner preform is inserted into an outer preform in a state in which a mouth portion of the inner preform is fitted into a mouth portion of an outer preform, the inner preform is formed of a crystalline resin, a crystallized region is provided in at least a portion of the inner preform, the crystallized region having a degree of crystallization greater than that of the other portion, the portion of the inner preform adjacent to the mouth portion from below the mouth portion and located below the outside air introduction hole, a step portion facing upward and a rib extending upward from the step portion are formed on an inner circumferential surface of the inner preform, and at least a part of the rib is adjacent to the crystallized region from above the crystallized region.

A multiple axis robotic additive manufacturing system includes a robotic arm movable in six degrees of freedom. The system includes a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom and independent of the movement of the robotic arm to position the part being built to counteract effects of gravity based upon part geometry. The system includes an extruder mounted at an end of the robotic arm. The extruder is configured to extrude at least part material with a plurality of flow rates, wherein movement of the robotic arm and the build platform are synchronized with the flow rate of the extruded material to build the 3D part.

A process including: the provision of a semicrystalline or crystallizable composition, having a glass transition temperature T.sub.g, including at least one polyaryletherketone; the provision of a compression forming means including: a mold, the mold having at least one cavity; the preparation of the composition in the molten state in said at least one cavity, the mold having a temperature T.sub.0 at the end of the preparation stage; the compression and the cooling of the composition in the molten state, the mold being cooled from the temperature T.sub.0 down to a final temperature T.sub.fof less than or equal to (T.sub.g+30)° C., to form a compression-formed article; and the removal of the compression-formed article from the mold; in which the composition has a melting point strictly of less than 340° C.

A process for producing a polymeric stiffened sheet-like component, for example a panel, for aircraft construction. Production includes integration of hollow stiffening profiles, for example closed omega stringers, onto a sheet-like component, for example an external skin, where the stringers and external skin are produced from thermoplastic composite material. The stringers are integrated onto the external skin by establishing contact between the stringers and the external skin and melting thermoplastic composite material with exposure to heat and pressure at the areas of contact between external skin and stringers. Melting of the other sections of the stringers is avoided with a pressurized cooling fluid with a temperature significantly below the melting point of thermoplastic composite material, the fluid flowing through the airtight enclosed space in the stringers. Use of closed airtight thermoplastic omega stringers allows integration of the stringers onto the external skin in absence of any flexible tube within the stringers.

Systems and methods control the operation of a blow molder. An indication of a crystallinity of at least one container produced by the blow molder may be received along with a material distribution of the at least one container. A model may be executed, where the model relates a plurality of blow molder input parameters to the indication of crystallinity and the material distribution and where a result of the model comprises changes to at least one of the plurality of blow molder input parameters to move the material distribution towards a baseline material distribution and the crystallinity towards a baseline crystallinity. The changes to the at least one of the plurality of blow molder input parameters may be implemented.

Ways of preparing a partially crystalline polycarbonate powder are provided that include dissolving an amorphous polycarbonate in a polar aprotic solvent to form a first solution of solubilized polycarbonate at a first temperature. The first solution is then cooled to a second temperature, the second temperature being lower than the first temperature, where a portion of the solubilized polycarbonate precipitates from the first solution to form a second solution including the partially crystalline polycarbonate powder. Certain partially crystalline polycarbonate powders resulting from such methods are particularly useful in additive manufacturing processes, including powder bed fusion processes.

A method of infusing, infiltrating or impregnating a three dimensional printed, free-form fabricated or additive manufactured object having pores or voids in or between particles or sheets of material from which the object is manufactured may include infusing the object with a thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material may be a linear or branched semi-crystalline aliphatic polyester with a melting point of between 40° C. and 65° C. which may have a solidification/crystalisation point between 20° C. and 40° C., and which may be introduced under controlled conditions of temperature and pressure. The thermoplastic material may be caused to penetrate the object by immersing the object in the thermoplastic material and controlling the frequency and amplitude of pressure oscillation to ensure sufficient infusion into the object to penetrate the pores or voids by at least 10% and bond particles or sheets of material from which the object is manufactured.

Disclosed is a method for producing at least one molded, filled and sealed container product (10) comprising at least the method steps listed below: extruding a hose (32) by means of an extrusion device (12) using supporting gas in vertical extrusion direction in a preforming position; sealing the hose (32) at its lower end and cutting it at its upper open end; transporting of the parison (22) thus cut to length by means of a gripper device (20) in linear transport direction transverse to the extrusion direction from the preforming position into an opened molding tool (18); transferring the parison (22) into the opened molding tool (18) by means of the gripper device (20) in a main forming position; sealing the molding tool (18) for further forming of the parison (22) by a pressure gradient; filling and sealing the parison (22); and returning the gripper device (20) to the preforming position for a repeated sequence of the above method steps

A multiple axis robotic additive manufacturing system includes a robotic arm movable in six degrees of freedom. The system includes a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom and independent of the movement of the robotic arm to position the part being built to counteract effects of gravity based upon part geometry. The system includes an extruder mounted at an end of the robotic arm. The extruder is configured to extrude at least part material with a plurality of flow rates, wherein movement of the robotic arm and the build platform are synchronized with the flow rate of the extruded material to build the 3D part.