IP Library Granted Patent US 10,328,615
Granted Patent B2
US 10,328,615 · App. 15/054,048 · Granted Jun 25, 2019

Molding equipment of composite material and molding method of composite material

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,328,615
App. No.
15/054,048
Granted
Jun 25, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one implementation, a molding equipment of a composite material includes a vessel, a decompression system and a heating medium supply system. The vessel houses a molding target sealed by a sealing object. The decompression system performs bending forming of the molding target and pressurization on the molding target after the bending forming by decompressing a region surrounded by the sealing object in the vessel. The heating medium supply system supplies a heating medium into the vessel. The heating medium is supplied for the bending forming, and heating and curing of the molding target under the pressurization.

Claims (49)

1. A molding equipment of a composite material comprising:

a vessel that houses a molding target sealed by a sealing object;

a decompression system that:

decompresses a region surrounded by the sealing object to a first pressure appropriate for bending forming of the molding target; and

decompresses the region surrounded by the sealing object to a second pressure appropriate for heating and curing of the molding target; and

a heating medium supply system that:

as the region surrounding the sealing object is decompressed to the first pressure, supplies a heating medium at a first temperature appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target into the vessel; and

as the region surrounding the sealing object is decompressed to the second pressure, supplies the heating medium at a second temperature appropriate for the heating and curing of the molding target into the vessel.

2. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the heating medium supply system is configured to supply steam as the heating medium.

3. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the decompression system includes variable vacuum equipment that decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

4. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a vacuum control circuit configured to control the decompression system to make the region surrounded by the sealing object be decompressed to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

5. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a temperature control circuit configured to set a control value of a temperature of the heating medium to a value appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to a value appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

6. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 ,

wherein the heating medium supply system is configured to supply saturated steam, steam in which air is mixed, or steam in which nitrogen is mixed, as the heating medium.

7. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first pressure appropriate for bending forming of the molding target is different than the second pressure appropriate for heating and curing of the molding target.

8. A molding method of a composite material for manufacturing a molded product of the composite material using the molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 1 .

9. A molding method of a composite material comprising:

carrying a molding target into a vessel, the molding target being sealed by a sealing object;

heating the molding target by supplying a heating medium into the vessel at a first temperature, and performing bending forming of the molding target by decompressing a region surrounded by the sealing object in the vessel to a first pressure appropriate for bending forming of the molding target; and

heating and curing the molding target after the bending forming, the molding target being heated and cured while decompressing the region surrounded by the sealing object to a second pressure appropriate for heating and curing of the molding target, the molding target being heated and cured by supplying the heating medium into the vessel at a second temperature.

10. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 8 ,

wherein the region surrounded by the sealing object is decompressed to different pressures in incremental steps.

11. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 8 ,

wherein a pressure in the region surrounded by the sealing object is changed continuously by decompression of the region surrounded by the sealing object.

12. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,

wherein at least one of pressurization for the bending forming of the molding target and pressurization for curing of the molding target after the bending forming is performed by controlling a pressure of the heating medium in the vessel.

13. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 8 ,

wherein a molded product of the composite material of which a length in a longitudinal direction is not less than 1 m and not more than 100 m is manufactured.

14. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 ,

wherein the decompression system includes variable vacuum equipment that decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

15. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a vacuum control circuit configured to control the decompression system to make the region surrounded by the sealing object be decompressed to the first pressure appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to the second pressure appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

16. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a temperature control circuit configured to set a control value of a temperature of the heating medium to a value appropriate for the bending forming of the molding target and subsequently to a value appropriate for the heating and the curing of the molding target.

17. The molding equipment of the composite material according to claim 3 ,

wherein the variable vacuum equipment includes:

decompression subsystems that decompresses the region, surrounded by the sealing object, to different pressures respectively; and

a switching structure that switches the decompression subsystems.

18. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,

wherein the region surrounded by the sealing object is decompressed to different pressures in incremental steps.

19. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,

wherein a pressure in the region surrounded by the sealing object is changed continuously by decompression of the region surrounded by the sealing object.

20. The molding method of the composite material according to claim 9 ,

wherein a molded product of the composite material of which a length in a longitudinal direction is not less than 1 m and not more than 100 m is manufactured.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 12, 2017
From: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: SUBARU CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042624/0886 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 27, 2016
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA ASHIDA SEISAKUSHO
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA ASHIDA SEISAKUSHO
Reel/Frame 039274/0063 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 21, 2016
From: ITO, YUMI; NAKAJIMA, MASANORI; ASHIDA, TAKESHI
To: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA; KABUSHIKI KAISHA ASHIDA SEISAKUSHO
Reel/Frame 038054/0326 →