Methods for producing panels using 3D-printed tooling shells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10759090-B2
Application number	US-201715430395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2017
Priority date	Feb 10, 2017
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

Techniques for producing panels such as for use in a vehicle, boat, aircraft or other transport structure or mechanical structure using a 3-D-printed tooling shell are disclosed. A 3-D printer may be used to produce a tooling shell containing Invar and/or some other material for use in molding the panels. A channel may be formed in a 3-D printed tooling shell for enabling resin infusion, vacuum generation or heat transfer. Alternatively, or in addition to, one or more hollow sections may be formed within the 3-D printed tooling shell for reducing a weight of the shell. The panel may be molded using the 3-D printed tooling shell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing a composite panel for a transport or other mechanical structure using a three-dimensional (3-D) printed tooling shell comprising Invar, the method comprising:
applying a composite material on a surface of the 3-D printed tooling shell, the 3-D printed tooling shell having an integrated channel and at least one hollow section, wherein the composite material is applied by infusing a resin through the integrated channel onto the surface of the 3-D printed tooling shell; and
forming a composite panel from the composite material using the 3-D printed tooling shell as a section of a mold to shape the composite material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
applying, over the composite material, a second 3-D printed tooling shell, the second 3-D printed tooling comprising a second section of the mold,
wherein the forming the composite panel comprises shaping the composite material disposed between the 3-D printed tooling shell and the second 3-D printed tooling shell.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite panel comprises a composite body panel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite material comprises a carbon fiber composite material.

5. The method claim 4 , wherein the infusing the resin through the integrated channel comprise applying the resin to one or more layers of carbon fiber using pre-impregnated carbon fiber plies.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite material comprises Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP).

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the composite panel further comprises using one or more of sheet molding, resin transfer molding (RTM), or vacuum assisted RTM (VARTM).

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the composite panel comprises creating a vacuum through the integrated channel of the 3-D printed tooling shell.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the composite panel further comprises transferring heat through the integrated channel of the 3-D printed tooling shell.

Assignees

• Divergent Tech Inc

Inventors

• Gunner Jon Paul
• Lakshman Narender Shankar

Classifications

• B22F12/55

  Two or more means for feeding material · CPC title

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B22F2999/00

  Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy · CPC title

• B29C70/40

  Shaping or impregnating by compression (B29C70/34 takes precedence){not applied} · CPC title