A method of press molding a molding material to form a vehicle body panel of fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface and a rear B-surface, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a heated mold tool having a lower mold part and an upp
A method of press molding a molding material to form a vehicle body panel of fiber-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface and a rear B-surface, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a heated mold tool having a lower mold part and an upper mold part, the upper mold part having a first molding surface for molding a front A-surface of the vehicle body panel and the lower mold part having a second molding surface for molding a rear B-surface of the vehicle body panel;ii. providing a multilaminar panel of molding material comprising at least one layer of fibers and at least one layer of resin, the multilaminar panel having first and second opposite major surfaces, a surface resin layer of the multilaminar panel being at or adjacent to the first major surface;iii. locating the molding material in the mold tool;iv. closing the mold tool to define a substantially closed mold cavity containing the molding material;v. applying pressure to the molding material in the mold cavity to configure the molding material in a fully molded shape; andvi. substantially fully curing the resin to form a vehicle body panel from the molding material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface formed from the first major surface and a rear B-surface formed from the second major surface.
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1. A method of press moulding a moulding material to form a vehicle body panel of fibre-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface and a rear B-surface, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a heated mould tool having a lower mould part and
1. A method of press moulding a moulding material to form a vehicle body panel of fibre-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface and a rear B-surface, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a heated mould tool having a lower mould part and an upper mould part, the upper mould part having a first moulding surface for moulding a front A-surface of the vehicle body panel and the lower mould part having a second moulding surface for moulding a rear B-surface of the vehicle body panel;ii. providing a multilaminar panel of moulding material comprising at least one layer of fibres and at least one layer of resin, the multilaminar panel having first and second opposite major surfaces, a surface resin layer of the multilaminar panel being at or adjacent to the first major surface and a dry fibre layer of the multilaminar panel forming the second major surface;iii. locating the moulding material in the mould tool, wherein in the locating step iii the second major surface is draped onto the second moulding surface of the lower mould part, and the lower mould part is at an elevated temperature as compared to the temperature of the moulding material;iv. closing the mould tool to define a substantially closed mould cavity containing the moulding material, wherein closing step iv includes the sub-steps of:a. partially closing the mould tool to define a closed intermediate cavity containing the moulding material, the closed intermediate cavity being larger than the moulded part and the first moulding surface of the upper mould part being spaced from the first major surface by a spacing distance, the upper mould part being at an elevated temperature as compared to the temperature of the moulding material; andb. at least partially evacuating air from the closed intermediate cavity at least while the first moulding surface of the upper mould part is spaced from the first major surface;v. applying pressure to the moulding material in the mould cavity to configure the moulding material in a fully moulded shape, wherein after the applying pressure step v, resin in the multilaminar panel fully impregnates the dry fibres; andvi. substantially fully curing the resin to form a vehicle body panel from the moulding material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface formed from the first major surface and a rear B-surface formed from the second major surface. 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein prior to the closing step iv the lower and upper mould parts are initially separate, and at an end of a preliminary closing phase in the closing step iv the lower and upper mould parts are mutually engaged to define an initial cavity containing the moulding material. 3. A method according to claim 2 wherein at the end of the preliminary closing phase a vacuum seal is engaged between the lower mould part and the upper mould part. 4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the vacuum seal is engaged when the first moulding surface of the upper mould part is spaced from the first major surface by a distance of from 10 to 100 mm. 5. A method according to claim 2 wherein after the initial cavity has been formed the mould tool is continuously closed to form the substantially closed mould cavity. 6. A method according to claim 2 wherein after the initial cavity has been formed the mould tool is discontinuously closed, there being a dwell period at the spacing distance. 7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moulding material comprises a dry fibre layer and the closing step iv comprises progressively closing the mould tool, the closing step including: a first stage prior to both the first moulding surface contacting the first major surface and the second moulding surface contacting the second major surface anda second compression stage after both the first moulding surface has contacted the first major surface and the second moulding surface has contacted the second major surface, the second compression stage causing resin impregnation of the dry fibre layer,the closure speed of relative movement between the lower and upper mould parts being higher in the first stage than in the second compression stage. 8. A method according to claim 7 wherein in the second compression stage the closure speed is controlled so as to cause impregnation of the dry fibre layer by the resin without excessive resin bleed out from the cavity, optionally to reduce any resin bleed out to no more than 600 grams of resin per square meter of the moulding material. 9. A method according to claim 1 wherein in the applying pressure step v the pressure is applied by gradually increasing the pressure. 10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of: vii. separating the upper and lower mould parts; and viii. removing the moulded part from the mould tool. 11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the method includes successive moulding cycles for moulding successive moulded parts and the locating step iii of a later cycle directly follows a removing step viii of an earlier cycle. 12. A method according to claim 11 wherein in the locating step iii of the later cycle the mould tool is at a temperature which is within +/−10° C. of the mould tool temperature during removing step viii of the earlier cycle. 13. A method according to claim 1 wherein a vacuum pressure is applied during the closing step iv and the pressure applying step v. 14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the vacuum pressure is released during the curing step vi. 15. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moulding material further comprises a syntactic layer comprising a polymer matrix and a plurality of hollow particles distributed within the polymer matrix. 16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the syntactic layer is a core layer between first and second dry fibre layers. 17. A method according to claim 15 wherein in locating step iii the moulding material drapes by bending about a neutral axis substantially centrally located with respect to the thickness of the moulding material, the neutral axis being located within the syntactic layer. 18. A method according to claim 1 wherein the resin comprises a thermosetting resin, optionally an epoxy resin. 19. A method according to claim 1 wherein in locating step iii the moulding material is heated to cause the viscosity of the resin initially to decrease as a result of an increase in resin temperature and then to increase as a result of initiation of curing prior to step vi. 20. A method according to claim 1 wherein locating step iii to curing step vi are carried out at an elevated temperature above the curing temperature of the resin. 21. A method according to claim 1 wherein in locating step iii a reduced pressure is applied to the mould cavity to increase the drape of the moulding material. 22. A method according to claim 1 wherein in the moulding material a layer of carbon fibres is adjacent to a respective layer of resin. 23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the moulding material comprises a syntactic core layer between a first carbon fibre layer and a second dry glass fibre layer defining the second major surface, each fibre layer being adjacent to a layer of resin. 24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the surface resin layer is on the first major surface of the moulding material and is adjacent to the first carbon fibre layer. 25. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moulding material comprises the surface resin layer, a syntactic core layer, a carbon fibre layer and a first resin layer between the surface resin layer and the syntactic core layer, a dry glass fibre layer defining the second major surface, and a second resin layer between the syntactic core layer and the dry glass fibre layer. 26. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first moulding surface faces substantially downwardly and the second moulding surface faces substantially upwardly. 27. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moulding material located in the mould tool in the locating step iii has a greater thickness than the moulded part and the closing step iv compresses the moulding material in the substantially closed mould cavity prior to the applying pressure step v. 28. A method according to claim 1 wherein in the moulding material the at least one layer of resin comprises thermosetting resin and the at least one layer of fibres comprises a woven fabric of carbon or glass fibres optionally at least one or each woven fabric being substantially unimpregnated with any resin. 29. A method according to claim 1 wherein in the moulding material at least one layer of resin is adjacent to at least one layer of fibres, optionally at least one or each layer of fibres being substantially unimpregnated with any resin. 30. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moulding material does not comprise a sheet moulding compound (SMC). 31. A method of press moulding a moulding material to form a vehicle body panel of fibre-reinforced resin matrix composite material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface and a rear B-surface, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a heated mould tool having a lower mould part and an upper mould part, the upper mould part having a first moulding surface for moulding a front A-surface of the vehicle body panel and the lower mould part having a second moulding surface for moulding a rear B-surface of the vehicle body panel;ii. providing a multilaminar panel of moulding material comprising at least one layer of fibres and at least one layer of resin, the multilaminar panel having first and second opposite major surfaces, a surface resin layer of the multilaminar panel being at or adjacent to the first major surface and a dry fibre layer of the multilaminar panel forming the second major surface;iii. locating the moulding material in the mould tool, wherein in the locating step iii the second major surface is draped onto the second moulding surface of the lower mould part, and the lower mould part is at an elevated temperature as compared to the temperature of the moulding material;iv. closing the mould tool to define a substantially closed mould cavity containing the moulding material, wherein the closing step iv comprises progressively closing the mould tool to define the substantially closed mould cavity containing the moulding material, the closing step including: a preliminary closing phase to achieve mutual engagement between the lower and upper mould parts,a secondary closing phase after engagement between the lower and upper mould parts with the mould tool partially closed to define a closed intermediate cavity containing the moulding material, the closed intermediate cavity being larger than the moulded part and the first moulding surface of the upper mould part being spaced from the first major surface by a spacing distance, in the secondary phase air being at least partially evacuated from the closed intermediate cavity while the first moulding surface of the upper mould part is spaced from the first major surface to provide a vacuum pressure, anda tertiary closing phase after the vacuum pressure has been provided in the closed intermediate cavity, the tertiary phase having: I. a first stage prior to both the first moulding surface contacting the first major surface and the second moulding surface contacting the second major surface, anda second compression stage after both the first moulding surface has contacted the first major surface and the second moulding surface has contacted the second major surface, the closure speed of relative movement between the lower and upper mould parts being higher in the first stage than in the second compression stage;v. applying pressure to the moulding material in the mould cavity to configure the moulding material in a fully moulded shape, wherein after the applying pressure step v, resin in the multilaminar panel fully impregnates the dry fibres; andvi. substantially fully curing the resin to form a vehicle body panel from the moulding material, the vehicle body panel having a front A-surface formed from the first major surface and a rear B-surface formed from the second major surface.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (3)
Hara Takahisa (Kawanishi JPX) Matsumoto Masahito (Osaka JPX) Nakada Hitoshi (Kibi-gun JPX), Method for producing a multilayer molded article.
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