Arris Composites Inc.

J Scott Perkins

Riley Reese

Ethan Escowitz

Erick Matthew Davidson

Sean Hennessee

Todd A Pelman

Cory Mark Bloome

Bert D Mannhalter

Christopher P Bender

Andrew Mathews

Dylan Harper

Kameron Butler

Sam Pirahanchi

Alexander Darrow

Allison R Light

Ian Graham

Ryan Satcher

Joe Wong

Kenneth Kirkland

Yang Shen

Adam Hansel

A preform charge is formed by forming an assemblage of preforms, wherein preforms in the assemblage are bonded to a neighboring preform such that the preform charge effectively becomes a single unit. The preform charge can then be added to a mold to fabricate a part via compression molding.

Preform charges and fixtures therefor

Method and apparatus for splaying fibers for the forming preform charges for the production of composite discs, and for the production of composite disc, wherein rotary compaction is applied to an appropriately arranged assemblage of preforms.

Compaction method for composite discs

A method for improving the impact resistance of a fiber-composite part includes positioning fibers within an expected impact region of the part, wherein at least a portion of most of the positioned fibers is oriented to be within about 45 degrees of parallel to an impact vector of an impact that occurs at the impact region. At least some of the fibers in the impact region should have relatively high impact resistance, such as glass fiber or aramid fiber, and the matrix in the impact region should have relatively high impact resistance.

Impact-resistant molded composites and methods therefor

Fiber-composite parts that incorporate a very thin electrical circuit, and a method for making the parts via compression molding, are disclosed. The electrical circuit is encapsulated by a film having a melting point that exceeds the maximum temperature to which the film is exposed during compression molding. The electrical circuit is disposed in a composite ply, in a lay-up of composite plies, and electrical leads are routed through the composite plies so that the lead are accessible in the molded fiber-composite part.

Fiber composites comprising a circuit, and method therefor

A cosmetic part is formed via compression molding in a single molding operation with no post processing by forming an assemblage of feed constituents, wherein the assemblage includes plural fiber-bundle-based preforms and one or more resin-only constituents, the latter configured and positioned as appropriate to create resin-rich cosmetic layers where desired on the part.

Method for compression molding cosmetic composite parts

A method for processing massive fiber bundles includes massive fiber-bundle formation and massive materials handling, wherein plural small-diameter bundles are unified, while more or less preserving their legacy cross-sectional form. It also includes bending, such as to create non-linear preforms, and preform-charge fabrication. Embodiments of the invention operate to help preserve a desired fiber alignment throughout a part fabricated from relatively large-diameter fiber bundles.

Method for processing massive fiber-composite preforms

Methods for fabricating fiber-composite truss structures comprise a) individually molding multiple unit cells of a given size, and subsequently fusing them together in a repeating pattern, b) cross members are consolidated with longerons while maintaining continuity of fiber in the longerons, and c) compression-molded truss components are unioned to continuous fiber beams by means of mechanically interlocking joints.

Method for composite truss manufacturing

Non-standard, resin-infused fiber bundle includes localized regions of fibers having a sub-nominal amount of polymer resin positioned along its length. These regions function as 'bending regions,' where the non-standard resin-infused fiber bundle can be readily deformed by virtue of the reduced amount of resin. The bending regions segregate the non-standard resin-infused fiber bundle into what is, effectively, discrete (smaller) segments of (standard) resin-infused fiber bundle. The ability to easily manipulate the non-standard, resin-infused fiber bundle via the bending regions is useful for creating fiber-bundle-based preforms, and preform charges (assemblages of fiber-bundle-based preforms).

Non-standard resin-infused fiber bundles

A system and methods are disclosed for producing components via additive manufacturing. In one embodiment, a three-dimensional geometry is sliced using a slicing plane to obtain a first two-dimensional geometry. A first polyline is generated based on a first skeleton of the first two-dimensional geometry, and a first slender body is generated based on the first polyline. The first slender body is subtracted from the first two-dimensional geometry to obtain a second two-dimensional geometry. A second polyline is generated based on a second skeleton of the second two-dimensional geometry. A first bundle of fibers is produced based on a segmentation of the first polyline and a second bundle of fibers is produced based on a segmentation of the second polyline. A component is produced from the first and second bundles of fibers using an additive manufacturing process.

Additive manufacturing path generation

A method for designing fiber-composite parts in which part performance and manufacturing efficiency can be traded-off against one another to provide an 'optimized' design for a desired use case. In some embodiments, the method involves generating an idealized fiber map, wherein the orientation of fibers throughout the prospective part align with the anticipated load conditions throughout the part, and then modifying the idealized fiber map by various fabrication constraints to generate a process-compensated preform map.

Method for the design and efficient manufacture of fiber-composite parts

A method and apparatus for the continuous fabrication of fiber-bundle-based and composite-tape based preforms and preform charges includes a mandrel about which a constituent material, which is maintained under tension, is wound. The tension is insufficient to fully consolidate the wound material.

Method and apparatus for continuous fabrication of fiber-bundle-based and tape-base preforms

A multi-part compression mold for forming a complex part having a desired fiber alignment, and methods therefor, are disclosed. The multi-part mold comprises at least three sections. Specific arrangements of fiber-bundle-based preforms are introduced to more than one of the mold sections of the multi-part mold, and subjected to compression molding. The arrangements of preforms, in conjunction with the multi-part mold, result in a complex part having fibers that substantially align with anticipated principle stress vectors that arise in the complex part, when in use.

Multi-part molds and methods for forming complex fiber-composite parts

A fiber-composite part having one or more electronic components that are located in arbitrary regions of the internal volume of the part are fabricated using a preform charge. The preform charge has a structure that corresponds to that of the mold cavity in which the part is being formed. By incorporating the electronic components in the preform charge, such components are then precisely located, spatially oriented, and constrained, and such location and orientation is maintained during molding to produce a part with the electronic components in the desired locations and orientations within its internal volume.

Method and compositions for embedding electronics in fiber-composite parts fabricated via compression molding

A method for making structural foam parts having continuous aligned fibers includes placing an assemblage of fiber-bundle-based preforms in an injection mold, creating a melt flow of resin and, optionally, short, loose fiber, and adding foaming agent to the melt flow. When the foaming agent/melt flow mixture is introduced into the injection mold, the foaming agent foams. The assemblage is structured and positioned so that fibers therefrom adopt a desired alignment and position in the final part. Structural foam fills the remainder of the volume of the part.

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Oakland, CA, United States of America

J Scott Perkins