Multi-Port Mold Injection for Composite Impregnation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for casting fibre reinforced composite products face challenges in achieving fast and efficient flow of composite fluid with even impregnation, especially for complex 3D forms, often resulting in dry spots and fiber displacement, which requires expensive and rigid mold assemblies and labor-intensive substrate modifications with flow layers.
Innovation Solution
A method using a mold with at least two sets of mold inlets and a mold outlet connected to a negative pressure source, where composite fluid is injected simultaneously from multiple inlets to reduce fiber displacement and overflow, and the second set of inlets is positioned closer to the outlet to enhance impregnation efficiency, eliminating the need for flow layers and allowing for simpler mold assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high pressure injection is used to achieve fast and efficient flow, then mold filling speed is improved, but fiber displacement occurs and mold assembly becomes expensive and rigid
Solution Approach 1:
The injection system is divided into multiple independent injection ports distributed across the mold, each capable of injecting composite fluid simultaneously. This segmentation allows the mold to be filled from multiple locations at once, achieving fast mold filling without requiring high injection pressure at any single port, thereby preventing fiber displacement while maintaining productivity.
2Productivity
If high pressure injection is used to achieve fast and efficient flow, then mold filling speed is improved, but fiber displacement occurs causing flow obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the injection system into multiple ports, the composite fluid can be introduced simultaneously at different locations without requiring excessively high pressure at any single port. This distributed approach maintains reliable impregnation quality by preventing fiber displacement while still achieving fast mold filling through parallel injection from multiple ports.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-point injection approach to a multi-point spatial distribution of injection ports. This dimensional change in the injection system architecture allows composite fluid to be introduced from multiple locations simultaneously, achieving fast filling without the high pressure necessary to displace fibers in single-point injection systems.
3Productivity
If flow layers are added to fiber reinforcing substrates to improve fluid flow, then composite fluid flow is improved, but manufacturing cost and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the flow improvement function from the substrate itself and relocates it to the injection system. Instead of modifying the substrate by adding flow layers, the multiple injection ports are designed to optimally distribute composite fluid onto the substrate, achieving improved flow without any substrate modification, thereby eliminating the additional manufacturing cost and labor required for flow layer application.
4Productivity
If multiple injection ports are used to improve mold filling, then productivity is improved, but even impregnation and dry spots occur
Solution Approach 1:
Each injection port is strategically positioned and sized to deliver composite fluid to specific regions of the mold, ensuring that each local area receives appropriate impregnation. This local quality approach, combined with simultaneous injection from multiple ports, maintains high productivity while achieving uniform impregnation throughout the mold by preventing both under-impregnation and over-impregnation in different regions.
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
This approach ensures efficient and even impregnation of fibre reinforcing substrates with reduced dry spots and fiber displacement, using lower injection pressures and simpler mold designs, suitable for complex 3D structures without the need for costly substrate modifications.
Implementation Method 1
The mold outlet is preferably connectable to a negative pressure source, such as a vacuum pump
Implementation Method 2
The method utilizes at least two sets of mold inlets and subsequently injects the composite fluid to form a propagating front of composite fluid towards a mold outlet
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for casting a fibre reinforced composite product, comprising the steps of; providing a mold (3) having at least a first and a second set of mold inlets (21, 31) for injecting composite fluid into the mold (3) and at least one mold outlet (411) connectable to a vacuum pump (12), each set of mold inlets (21,31) having at least a first and a second mold inlet (211, 311; 212, 312), placing a reinforcing fibre substrate (7) into the mold (3), substantially simultaneously start injecting the composite fluid from at least the first mold inlet (211) of the first set of mold inlets (21) and the first mold inlet (212) of the second set of mold inlets (31) and, subsequently thereafter substantially simultaneously start injecting additional composite fluid from the second mold inlet (311) of the first set of mold inlets (21) and the second mold inlet (312) of the second set of mold inlets (31).