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:
Jan. 20, 2004
Filed:
May. 29, 2001
Robert P. Kusy, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Scott Zufall, Kalamazoo, MI (US);
Matthew Camp, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Glenys Thorstenson, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Brian Rucker, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Hiawatha Demby, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
David Ruddell, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Elodia Cole, Morrisville, NC (US);
Aditya Patel, Washington, NC (US);
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Abstract
A pultrusion apparatus for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced plastic article having a non-linear shape includes a mold configured to receive a partially cured fiber-reinforced plastic article and to form the partially cured fiber-reinforced plastic article into a spirally wound shape. A drive mechanism is coupled to the mold and configured to rotate the mold such that the fiber-reinforced plastic article is taken up on the mold. An energy source is operatively associated with the mold and positioned so that the partially cured fiber-reinforced plastic article is cured in a spirally wound shape as the article is taken up on the longitudinally extending mold. The pultrusion apparatus allows for continuously shaping a non-linear fiber-reinforced plastic article, obviating the need for any of the work to be done by hand, which may be labor intensive, not as highly reproducible, and potentially contaminating.