Patent ID: 6800164
Filing Date: 2004-10-05
Classification: B29C

Abstract:
A method for forming a molded rod comprising:providing a longitudinally continuous fibrous structure formed of a plurality of fibers; the fibrous structure including longitudinally extending continuous fibers; impregnating the fibrous structure with a settable resin; collating the impregnated fibrous structure including the longitudinally extending continuous fibers into an elongate continuous rod in which the resin throughout the rod is an un-set condition; providing a generally cylindrical die having a plurality of die parts for surrounding a portion of the rod and for extending along a part of the length of the rod, which die parts can be opened in a direction transverse to the length of the rod to receive the rod and clamped together to form a hollow die interior defining a generally cylindrical shape; in a compression step, closing the die parts into a closed position onto the portion of the length of the impregnated fibrous structure while the resin remains in the un-set condition so as to apply a compressive force from the die parts onto the rod in a direction transverse to the length to cause the portion of the fibrous structure to conform to the shape of the hollow interior; heating the die parts to set the resin in the portion; and moving the die parts from the closed position to a release position; wherein the die parts include a first die part having a first part cylindrical surface defining a first die part axis and a second die part, having a second part cylindrical surface defining a second die part axis forming a part of the hollow die interior defining the generally cylindrical shape such that, when the die parts are in closed position, the part cylindrical surfaces have the first and second die part axes thereof coaxial to form the hollow die interior; wherein the first die part and the second die part each include parallel mating surfaces on each side of the part cylindrical surface; and wherein the first and second die parts are moved in the compression step from the release position in which the mating surfaces of the first die part are spaced from the mating surfaces of the second die part in a first direction transverse to the mating surfaces to bring the mating surfaces into contact together with the part cylindrical surfaces offset in an offset direction at right angles to the first and second die part axes so that the first and second die part axes are offset and in a second direction parallel to the mating surfaces and along said offset direction to bring the part cylindrical surfaces into the closed co-axial position to form the hollow die interior into the generally cylindrical shape.