Teijin Automotive Technologies, Inc.

Continental Structural Plastics, Inc.

MIchael J Siwajek

Probir Kumar Guha

Dominique Boyer

Marc-Philippe Toitgans

Philippe Bonte

Satish Haryadi

Michael J Hiltunen

A process and system are provided for introducing chopped and dispersed carbon fibers on an automated production line amenable for inclusion in molding compositions, including the debundling of many carbon fibers collectively forming a tow into dispersed chopped carbon fibers that form a filler that undergoes plasma treatment prior to introducing coating silanes to uniformly increase bonding sites for coupling to a thermoset matrix. By exposing carbon tow to a plasma discharge, the carbon tow debundles and is used to form sheets of molding compositions with chopped dispersed fibers added to the composition, as the sheets move along a conveyor belt on the automated production line and at least one plasma generator mounted above the conveyor belt ionizes the carbon fibers. With resort to deionized air to mix plasma-treated chopped fibers, still further dispersion results.

Dispersed fiber mat formation

Growing community of inventors

Auburn Hills, MI, United States of America

MIchael J Siwajek