Patent ID: 9676124
Date: 2017-06-13
CPC Classifications: B29C,B29K

Claim:
1. A method of forming a composite article, said method comprising the steps of: providing a tool having a mold surface; providing a press having a platform and a cover facing the platform; providing a preform comprising a carbon fiber mat and a resin; providing a heater-subsystem in fluid communication with the tool and comprising a heater and a tank containing a heated fluid; providing a chiller-subsystem in fluid communication with the tool and comprising a cooler and a tank containing a cooled fluid; providing a valve in fluid communication between the tool and both the tank of the heater-subsystem and the tank of the chiller-subsystem; disposing the preform on the mold surface of the tool; disposing a vacuum canopy on the tool to define an envelope between the vacuum canopy and the mold surface of the tool; applying vacuum to the vacuum canopy thereby evacuating the envelope to retain the preform adjacent the mold surface of the tool; disposing the tool between the cover and the platform of the press; contacting the platform with the cover to define a cavity between the cover and the platform of the press with the tool disposed within the cavity of the press; directing the heated fluid from the tank of the heater-subsystem to the mold surface of the tool to directly heat the mold surface from a first temperature (T opening the valve to re-circulate the heated fluid from the tool to the heater-subsystem; pressurizing the cavity of the press with compressed air from a first pressure (P maintaining the mold surface of the tool at about T maintaining the cavity of the press at about P depressurizing the cavity of the press; directing the cooled fluid from the tank of the chiller-subsystem to the mold surface of the tool to directly cool the mold surface to drop the mold surface from about T opening the valve to re-circulate the cooled fluid from the tool to the chiller-subsystem; separating the cover and the platform of the press; removing the tool from the press; removing the vacuum canopy from the tool; and removing the composite article from the mold surface of the tool; wherein Tt