Patent ID: 7935290

Claim:
A process for forming a swaged lighting hole in a planar or quasi-planar area of a part made of a laminate of preimpregnated composite tape containing stiff continuous fibers, said laminate having been produced by means of a tape laying machine, which comprises the following steps: a) Arranging the part containing said hole between a female tooling with the final shape of the bottom side of the swaged part and a caul plate with the final shape of the top side of the swaged part, except in the area that must be swaged, which is not covered by the caul plate, and applying pressure on the caul plate throughout the process to prevent the formation of wrinkles on the area of the part that must be maintained substantially planar; b) locating a spring within the hole oriented to oppose pressure applied in a direction perpendicular to the female footing; c) Applying a male tooling against the resistance of said spring on the area of the part which must be swaged such that the forward speed of said male tooling results in flow of the resin and slippage of the fibers of the material, such that said part can be deformed, adapting to the shape of the female tooling.