Method and apparatus for continuously fabricating a composite sandwich structure

• Main Authors: Childers, Christopher H, Jackson, Cori A, Prebil, Charles
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 03.11.2020
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; LAYERED PRODUCTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT ORNON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method for continuously fabricating a composite sandwich structure includes the steps of: (1) preheating a laminate to a preforming temperature above a glass transition temperature of the laminate but below or equal to a crystalline melt temperature of the laminate as the laminate is substantially continuously moved through a preheating zone, wherein the laminate comprises a first face sheet, a second face sheet and a core sandwiched between the first face sheet and the second face sheet; (2) consolidating the laminate as the laminate is substantially continuously moved through a consolidation zone in line with the preheating zone to form a continuous length of the composite sandwich structure; (3) moving the composite sandwich structure, substantially continuously, through at least one of a texturing zone and a coating zone; and (4) incrementally applying at least one of a surface texture and a surface coating to at least one surface of the composite sandwich structure.