Patent ID: 9056428
Filing Date: 2015-06-16
Classification: B29C,B29K,B29L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A manufacturing method for manufacturing a hollow component for an aerospace element, the aerospace element having a variable cross section and corners and being manufactured by conforming a plastic material preform, the method using a tubular film and a mould having inner surfaces with corresponding variable cross sections and corners, the method having the following steps: a) feeding a plastic material preform in the area of the inner surfaces of the mould, the plastic material preform having a first fiber layer and a second fiber layer; b) conforming the plastic material preform to mechanically conform to the inner surfaces of the mould; c) feeding a tubular film into the mould so that the plastic material preform is positioned between an outer surface of the tubular film and the mould, the tubular film being unwound from a roll, expanded by pressure and/or a vacuum, and then contoured by a guide tool before it is fed into the mould in step c) such that its contour in a sectional plane perpendicular to its longitudinal extension is furnished with an outer contour with a plurality of recesses alternating with a plurality of protuberances distributed about its circumference and extending in the direction of its longitudinal extension, the tubular film being fed from an endless roll; d) expanding the contoured tubular film using pressure and/or a vacuum when the inner surfaces of the mould are joined together, the expanding of the contoured tubular film being performed without the contoured tubular film having to move along the plastic material preform, the protuberances contacting the plastic material preform prior to the recesses; and e) applying a pressure above atmospheric pressure in the contoured tubular film and heating the mould so that the plastic material preform is adapted to fuse the fiber layers and conform the fiber layers to an inner contour of the mould and an outer contour of the expanded tubular film.