Apparatus and method for producing reinforced plastic composite articles

Abstract

An apparatus and method for producing fiber reinforced plastic composite articles which have a length and where the shape of and volume of material in the composite across its length is not necessarily uniform. The apparatus receives filament containing reinforcing material, as for example, strands of filament reinforcing material impregnated with a hardenable binder such as a curable resin. The apparatus also includes a device for forming cores or plugs from a bulk-molding compound, roughly in the form of the desired shape of a portion of the article to be produced. Thereafter, the resin impregnated fiber containing reinforcing strands are disposed about each of the plugs which are draped over a continuous string to from a chain of the plugs on the string. The impregnated strands preferably enclose the plugs to form a composite therewith. Thereafter, a shrinkable film is wrapped about and encloses each of the strand encased plugs on the chain with the film sealed along its margins to completely enclose the plugs. Thereafter, the film is shrunk in a film shrunk tunnel. A suitable pre-curing device, e.g., a radio frequency generator initiates a cure of the curable resin binder impregnated in the strands. The fiber wrapped strand enclosed composite plugs are introduced into a final mold, containing a pair of split mold elements, which imparts the final shape to each of the articles to be produced. The final mold also applys a curing radiation to the film wrapped strand enclosed plugs to finally cure same to hardened reinforced plastic composite articles. A flash removal assembly provides for removal of excess material and thereafter, the shrinkable film is removed. The final articles are cut into the discrete composite articles.