Recycled Composite Products Using Scrap Overlap and Resin Curing

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Solution Overview

Problem

The production and end-of-life disposal of composite products result in significant waste, with existing recycling methods often requiring additional processing, cutting, heat, or chemical treatments, leading to reduced strength and increased costs.

Innovation Solution

A method for forming composite products using recycled materials without additional processing, cutting, or chemical treatments, by positioning material scraps in a mold to overlap and applying resin, which are then cured to form a continuous layer, potentially with additional layers, to create strong and durable products.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of substance

If traditional recycling methods are used, then some waste reduction is achieved, but additional processing, cutting, heat, or chemical treatments are required leading to reduced strength and increased costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewaste reductionVSAvoidproduct strength

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent recovers recycled composite materials and uses them directly in new composite products without additional processing. The method involves positioning material scraps in a mold to overlap and applying resin, which is then cured to form a continuous layer, thereby recovering waste materials while maintaining product strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Solution Approach 2:

The recycled materials are used self-service fashion, where the material scraps themselves serve as the structural component without requiring external processing. The overlapping arrangement of scraps creates a continuous layer that provides structural integrity, eliminating the need for additional strengthening processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Loss of substance

If traditional recycling methods are used, then some waste reduction is achieved, but additional processing and chemical treatments increase manufacturing costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewaste reductionVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #34Discarding and recovering

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the essential function of the recycled materials - to provide structural reinforcement - and uses them directly without adding unnecessary processing steps. By taking out the material scraps and positioning them to overlap, the method eliminates the need for chemical treatments and additional manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Strength

If material scraps are positioned to overlap and cured with resin, then continuous layers are formed with improved strength, but the process requires positioning precision

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomposite strengthVSAvoidpositioning precision

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the recycled material into individual scraps that can be positioned independently. By arranging these segmented pieces to overlap in a layered structure, the method achieves continuous coverage without requiring perfect positioning precision, as the overlapping nature of the segments provides tolerance for variations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from a two-dimensional arrangement of material scraps to a three-dimensional layered structure. By stacking multiple layers of overlapping scraps, the method creates a continuous layer that provides structural integrity without requiring precise positioning in a single plane, as the third dimension provides additional alignment flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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 method produces composite products with improved strength characteristics and reduced waste, utilizing recycled materials efficiently and cost-effectively, suitable for various applications including vehicle components, shipping containers, and building panels.

Implementation Method 1

curing the resin in the mold

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCuring: Chemical Bonding

Data Source

PatentUS12365148B2Composite products and related methods for manufacturing composite products from recycled composite materials

Publication Date: 2025.07.22 GREENTEX SOLUTIONS LLC

AI summary

A method of manufacturing a composite product includes recovering a wet composite waste from at least one of the manufacturing process or an end-of-life product. The wet composite waste includes a first resin and a plurality of first fibers that are bound together with the first resin. The method also includes grinding the wet composite waste after recovering the wet composite waste. The method also includes mixing the wet composite waste with the second resin into a homogeneous mixture and placing the homogeneous mixture into a cavity. The method includes curing the second resin of the homogeneous mixture such that the homogenous mixture hardens to form a composite product that includes the first resin, the second resin, and the plurality of first fibers.