The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 03, 2002
Filed:
Dec. 28, 1999
Suresh Deepchand Shah, Troy, MI (US);
Jason Alan Waite, Lake Orion, MI (US);
Delphi Technologies, Inc., Troy, MI (US);
Abstract
According to the present invention an in-line compounding/extrusion deposition and molding apparatus and method of using the same are provided. The apparatus comprises a single step compounding and extrusion apparatus which includes an extruder screw. The apparatus includes a first zone, a second zone, and a third zone. The first zone is used to melt an inlet material before the screw advances the melted inlet material into the second zone which comprises a preparation and cutting zone. Simultaneously, as the inlet material is melted in the first zone, the screw rotation feeds a reinforcing fiber bundle into the second zone where the reinforcing fiber bundle is prepared for melt impregnation and is sheared to a desired length. While in the second zone, mixing begins between the melted inlet material and the sheared reinforcing fiber bundle. Next the mixture is advanced into the third zone for uniform distributive mixing and impregnation of the sheared reinforcing fiber bundle with the melted inlet material to form a fiber bundle filled melt. The apparatus includes at least one winding/unwinding reel which continuously ensures that the reinforcing fiber bundle is under constant tension (no sagging or breaking thereof) during the X, Y, Z movement of the apparatus during melt deposition as well as during forward movement of the screw within the barrel.