Arris Composites Inc.

An improved compression-molding process utilizes a unique assemblage of feed constituents, arranged, and aligned in a particular manner. The assemblage includes fiber-bundle preforms having a filamentous form with a typically circular or oval cross section, and having many thousands of relatively long, co-aligned, resin-impregnated fibers. The fiber-bundle preforms are formed to have an application-appropriate length and optionally shape. The assemblage further includes very-short-fiber constituents have a filamentous form and consisting of very short, typically non-aligned, resin-impregnated fibers. Although consisting of very short fibers, the very-short-fiber constituent may nevertheless be similar in length and cross section to the FB preforms to facilitate handling, registration with a mold cavity, and the like. In some embodiments, some of the very-short-fiber constituents are positioned in the assemblage proximal to expected locations of respective parting lines on the fiber-composite part to be molded. In some embodiments, the long axis of those very-short-fiber constituents is substantially parallel to the respective parting lines.

A shoe plate, which is integrated into footwear, is provided. The shoe plate is relatively less stiff up to a threshold degree of bending, at which point the shoe plate transitions to regime in which the shoe plate becomes relatively stiffer. This occurs at a location proximal to the forefoot of the shoe plate.

A method that enables the use of a single preform-charge fixture to create preform charges suitable for creating a chiral part and its mirror image is disclosed. The method utilizes a preform charge having a flat-planar form, unlike the near net shape preform charges used in applicant's legacy methods. Two identical instances of a preform charge are fabricated from the preform-charge fixture. The first instance of the preform charge is placed, in a first orientation, in a first compression mold for fabricating a first part. The second instance of the preform charge is placed, in a second orientation, in a second compression mold for fabricating the second part. The second orientation is obtained by rotating the second instance of the flat planar preform charge 180 degrees relative to the first orientation about an axis that is parallel to a reflection axis of the first and second instance of the preform charge.

Fiber-reinforced composite parts include select portions containing a plurality of co-aligned fiber. The parts are fabricated by placing substantially preforms into a mold cavity to form a layup, and compression molding the layup to consolidate the preforms to provide a fiber-reinforced composite part. Different sections of the part can be derived from preforms having different shapes and different compositions.

A fiber-composite sandwich-panel insert is a monolithic structure having a tubular body and a tapered head, wherein an axially aligned bore extends completely through the sandwich panel insert, the monolithic structure comprising a plurality of fibers in a resin matrix, wherein a first group of the plurality of fibers are disposed in the tubular body and have an axial alignment therein, and a second group of the plurality of fibers are disposed at least partially in the tapered head and have a spiral alignment therein.

A fiber-composite insert for footwear comprises a plurality of ribs arranged in a lattice structure, the ribs comprising a plurality of fibers in a resin-matrix.

A preform charge is formed by forming an assemblage of preforms, wherein preforms in the assemblage are bonded to a neighboring preform such that the preform charge effectively becomes a single unit. The preform charge can then be added to a mold to fabricate a part via compression molding.

A molding apparatus for injection molding or compression molding includes an “A” portion of a mold, a “B” portion of the mold, and at least one core plunger/ejector. The core plunger/ejector provides dual functionality, wherein it participates in molding operations by consolidating a feed material in the mold cavity, and also is responsible for separating the part from various mold surfaces and ejecting it from the mold.

A method for fabricating thermoplastic bicycle spokes that securely couple to an end fitting, at one or both ends thereof, via a non-threaded, mechanical interlocking geometry. A spoke body is fabricated from thermoplastic resin, and then thermoplastic material is added, in situ (using the internal geometry of the end fitting as a form). This increases the effective diameter of the spoke at at least one end thereof to create an engagement feature that is adapted to interlock with the internal configuration of the end fitting. Additionally, by virtue of the method, the end of the spoke has a desirable fiber alignment, wherein the fibers substantially align with in-use loads.

A bundling apparatus for fabricating a preform charge consisting of plural preforms includes a guide module, a tacking module, a bundle-advancement module, and a cutting module, and optionally one or more of a bending module, a scoring module, and inspection module, a consolidation module, and a placement module.