Patent ID: 7026377

Claim:
A process for producing a molded article made of fiber-reinforced thermoplastic material, the process comprising the steps of: knead melting a composition comprising a thermoplastic material in its solid state and reinforcing fibers, wherein the thermoplastic material of the composition has a melt flow index of at least 25 g/10 minutes according to ASTM D1238, and wherein the reinforcing fibers of the composition have an average length greater than 0.375 inch and are sized with a material which contains at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyurea, and isocyanate derivatives polyurethane, and isocyanate derivatives of polyurea, wherein the reinforcing fibers are filamentized in an essentially homogenous dispersion throughout the solid polymeric material; transferring the knead melted material into a suitable closed cavity mold device; and upon solidification, removing a finished articles from the mold device.