Moulding Tool Wrinkle Control Feature for Laminate Components

Solution Overview

Problem

Laminate components often develop wrinkles during the moulding process due to material contraction, leading to defects such as voids, resin rich or resin poor regions, reduced strength, and unpredictable surface accuracy, making it challenging to produce identical components with optimal shape and properties.

Innovation Solution

A tool with a moulding surface featuring a wrinkle control feature that manages ply layer deformation by creating local surface undulations, either preventing or initiating wrinkling at predetermined locations, thereby controlling wrinkle development and ensuring predictable component geometry.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Shape

If ply layers are formed over a complex three-dimensional moulding surface, then the component achieves the desired complex shape, but wrinkle develops in the ply layers due to material contraction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomplex three-dimensional shapeVSAvoidwrinkle in ply layers

Core Design Contradiction:

ShapeVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The tool incorporates predetermined wrinkle control features (such as recesses or protrusions) in its moulding surface before the moulding process begins. These features are designed in advance to either accommodate material contraction or initiate controlled wrinkling at specific locations, preventing unpredictable wrinkles in the final component surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The wrinkle control features are applied locally at specific positions on the moulding surface where wrinkles are most likely to occur based on the complex geometry. Rather than modifying the entire tool surface, the invention targets specific high-risk areas with localized features such as recesses to accommodate contraction or protrusions to guide wrinkle formation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If wrinkle control features are added to the tool, then wrinkle development is managed and predictability improves, but the tool complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepredictability of component featuresVSAvoidtool complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The wrinkle control features are applied locally at specific positions on the moulding surface where wrinkles are most likely to occur based on the complex geometry. Rather than modifying the entire tool surface, the invention targets specific high-risk areas with localized features such as recesses to accommodate contraction or protrusions to guide wrinkle formation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The tool incorporates predetermined wrinkle control features (such as recesses or protrusions) in its moulding surface before the moulding process begins. These features are designed in advance to either accommodate material contraction or initiate controlled wrinkling at specific locations, preventing unpredictable wrinkles in the final component surface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9067371B2Wrinkle control method and tool therefor

Publication Date: 2015.06.30 AIRBUS OPERATIONS LTD

AI summary

A method for forming a laminate component, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a tool having a molding surface; b) arranging a stack of ply layers on the molding surface of the tool; and c) molding the stack of ply layers over the molding surface in a molding process, wherein the tool has a wrinkle control feature in its molding surface for managing the development of wrinkle in the ply layers during the molding process, and wherein the wrinkle control feature cooperates with the stack of ply layers during the molding process to produce a local surface undulation in a nominal surface of the laminate component nearest the tool to either prevent wrinkling in the ply layers or initiate wrinkling in one or more of the ply layers at a predetermined location. Also, a tool having a wrinkle control feature, and a laminate component so formed.