Composite Material Production Device with Stacking Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing devices for composite materials struggle to produce materials with excellent moldability and properties due to limitations in applying nonwoven fabric-form polymers and single-type fibers, making it difficult to achieve the required strength and lightweight characteristics for industries like automobiles and construction.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a mat manufacturing unit, a fiber manufacturing unit, and a composite material manufacturing unit that forms a polymer/fiber mat and wide-width unidirectional fibers, allowing for various stacking orders by using plastic resin feeders, unidirectional fiber feeders, and securing units to apply heat and pressure, resulting in a composite material with improved moldability and properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a typical mat uses a nonwoven fabric-form polymer and a single type of fiber, then the manufacturing device is simple, but a composite material exhibiting excellent moldability and properties cannot be produced
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing device is divided into multiple independent units: a mat manufacturing unit that produces polymer/fiber mats, a fiber manufacturing unit that creates wide-width unidirectional fibers, and a composite material manufacturing unit that stacks them. This segmentation allows each unit to be optimized independently while enabling versatile composite material production through controlled stacking sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines different material types (polymer/fiber mats and wide-width unidirectional fibers) in specific stacking sequences to create composite materials with tailored properties. By layering different materials with distinct characteristics, the final composite achieves both excellent moldability and enhanced mechanical properties that neither material could provide alone.
2Adaptability or versatility
If various forms of stacking of polymer/fiber mat and wide-width unidirectional fibers are implemented, then composite material with excellent moldability and properties is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates adjustable components including elevators that can move guide rollers up and down to control fiber width, and position movers that dynamically adjust the positions of feeding rollers. These dynamic elements enable the system to adapt to different stacking configurations without requiring completely different manufacturing lines, thus managing complexity while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite material manufacturing unit is designed as a universal system that can produce various stacking sequences using the same basic infrastructure. The feeding rollers, securing units, and cooling mechanisms serve multiple functions across different composite configurations, reducing overall device complexity while enabling diverse material properties.
3Strength
If unidirectional fibers are supplied between layers of plastic resin and secured with heat and pressure, then wide-width fiber with improved properties is produced, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The securing unit utilizes the phase transition of plastic resin from solid to molten state during heating, allowing unidirectional fibers to be impregnated and bonded together. The resin melts around the fibers under heat and pressure, then solidifies upon cooling, creating strong bonds without requiring complex chemical treatments or additional fastening mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process controls key parameters such as temperature, pressure, and fiber alignment to achieve optimal fiber strength. By precisely managing these parameters during the securing process, the system produces high-strength wide-width fibers through a relatively simple thermal consolidation step rather than complex mechanical or chemical bonding procedures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device enables the production of composite materials with enhanced moldability and properties by allowing for various forms of stacking, achieving the necessary strength and lightweight characteristics for industrial applications.
Implementation Method 1
a securing unit forming the wide-width fiber through fastening the unidirectional fibers and the plastic resin by applying certain heat and pressure to the plastic resin to which the unidirectional fibers are supplied
Implementation Method 2
a composite material securing unit forming a composite material through fastening the mat and the wide-width fiber by applying certain heat and pressure to the mat and the wide-width fiber
Implementation Method 3
a cooler cooling the composite material to a certain temperature
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a device for producing a composite material, including: a mat production unit that produces a mat which forms a polymer film having a plurality of fiber layers; a fiber production unit that produces a wide-width fiber which is formed of a plastic resin with a single direction fiber layer; and a composite material production unit to which the mat and the double width fiber are supplied so that the mat and the wide-width fiber are laminated according to a predetermined order of lamination. Also, the present invention provides a composite material produced using the device and a method for producing said composite material.