Patent ID: 8574484

Claim:
A RTM process comprising: using a molding die comprising (a) two or more molds, (b) a temperature control mechanism provided in at least one of the two or more molds to adjust a temperature of the mold, (c) a mold opening-closing mechanism to open and close the two or more molds, (d) a cavity between the inner walls of the two or more molds formed when the two or more molds are closed, (e) a resin introducing path to supply a resin in a flowable state into the cavity, and (f) a valve mechanism provided in the resin introducing path to start and stop the supply of the resin into the cavity through the resin introducing path; (g) activating the mold opening-closing mechanism to close the two or more molds after a reinforcement fiber base is placed in the cavity; (h) supplying the resin into the cavity from the resin introducing path through the valve mechanism after the two or more molds are closed; (i) activating the valve mechanism to stop the supply of the resin after the supply of the resin is completed; (j) activating the temperature control mechanism for adjustment of the temperature in the cavity so as to solidify the resin impregnated in the reinforcement fiber base placed in the cavity; and (k) activating the mold opening-closing mechanism to open the two or more molds after the solidification of the resin is completed to allow a molded fiber reinforced plastic molding comprising the reinforcement fiber base and the resin to be ejected from the molding die; wherein (l) a plurality of said valve mechanisms are provided in the molding die, (m) one or more temperature control systems are provided for each of the valve mechanisms to adjust the temperature of the valve mechanisms, and (n) the resin in a flowable state is supplied to the cavity through the valve mechanisms, and wherein a top end portion of each of the valve mechanisms is embedded in one of the molds, wherein the resin introducing path leading to the cavity via the valve mechanism passes through the mold so that the resin introducing path has its open end in an inner wall surface of the cavity, and wherein at least one of the one or more temperature control systems provided for the valve mechanism is located between a resin retention portion of the resin introducing path in which the resin, in a flowable state, is retained during the period when the resin is not flowing through the resin introducing path, and the portion of the valve mechanisms embedded in the molding die, and further wherein the temperature control system located between the resin retention portion and the portion of the valve mechanisms embedded in the molding die causes the temperature controlling medium to flow through a temperature controlling medium flow channel provided in the valve mechanism so that the temperature of the valve mechanism is controlled by the temperature controlling medium.