Apparatus and method for manufacturing tow prepreg

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017106405-A1
Application number	US-201615291889-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 12, 2016
Priority date	Oct 14, 2015
Publication date	Apr 20, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus applies resin to an original tow of reinforcing fibers. The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus includes an oiling roller, a scraper, a resin reservoir, a tube pump, and a controller. The oiling roller is supplied with resin while rotating at a predetermined rotation speed. The scraper adjusts the shape of the resin supplied onto the oiling roller. The resin reservoir supplies resin to the oiling roller. The tube pump discharges resin to the resin reservoir. The controller controls the tube pump so that the amount of resin held in the resin reservoir remains constant and controls the rotation speed of the oiling roller so that a resin content of a wound tow prepreg becomes equal to a target resin content.

First claim

1 . A tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus that applies resin to an original tow of reinforcing fibers, the tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus comprising:
an oiling roller supplied with resin while rotating at a predetermined rotation speed; a scraper that adjusts the shape of the resin supplied onto the oiling roller; a resin reservoir that supplies resin to the oiling roller; a tube pump that discharges resin to the resin reservoir; and a controller that controls the tube pump so that the amount of resin supplied from the resin reservoir remains constant and controls the rotation speed of the oiling roller so that a resin content of a wound tow prepreg becomes equal to a target resin content.

2 . The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a liquid level sensor that detects a liquid level in the resin reservoir, wherein the controller controls a drive amount of the tube pump in accordance with liquid level information output from the liquid level sensor so that a liquid level height in the resin reservoir is held at a constant value.

3 . The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the rotation speed of the oiling roller in accordance with the resin content of the wound tow prepreg and the target resin content so that the amount of resin supplied from the oiling roller to the original tow converges the resin content of the wound tow prepreg on the target resin content.

4 . The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first weight scale that detects the weight of the resin discharged from the tube pump; and a second weight scale that detects the weight of resin that falls from the oiling roller, wherein the controller calculates the amount of resin applied to the wound tow prepreg from an output value of the first weight scale and an output value of the second weight scale, and the controller calculates the resin content of the wound tow prepreg from a winding length of the tow prepreg and the amount of resin applied to the wound tow prepreg.

5 . The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the resin reservoir is a box-shaped member and includes side walls that contact the oiling roller, and the resin reservoir supplies the oiling roller with resin from a groove formed by the side walls and a portion of a bottom surface of the resin reservoir.

6 . The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the bottom surface of the resin reservoir includes parallel portions located between the side walls, and a lateral width between the side walls is narrowed in a stepped manner.

7 . The tow prepreg manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a third weight scale that detects the weight of resin that falls from a travel path of the tow prepreg at a downstream side of the oiling roller, wherein the controller calculates the amount of resin applied to the wound tow prepreg from output values of the first weight scale, the second weight scale, and the third weight scale.

8 . A method for manufacturing tow prepreg, the method comprising:
supplying an oiling roller with resin from a resin reservoir; moving an original tow of reinforcing fibers over the oiling roller to apply resin to the original tow; and executing a resin discharge control and an oiling roller rotation speed control in parallel, wherein the resin discharge control keeps the amount of resin supplied from the resin reservoir constant, and the oiling roller rotation speed control controls a rotation speed of the oiling roller to converge a resin content of a wound tow prepreg on a target resin content and adjust the amount of resin supplied to the original tow from the oiling roller.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the resin discharge control includes
detecting a liquid level height of the resin held in the resin reservoir, and controlling the amount of resin delivered to the resin reservoir so that the detected liquid level height is held at a constant value.

10 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the oiling roller rotation speed control includes
calculating a resin content of the wound tow prepreg, and controlling the rotation speed of the oiling roller in accordance with the resin content of the wound tow prepreg and the target resin content so that the amount of resin supplied to the original tow from the oiling roller converges the resin content of the wound tow prepreg on the target resin content.

11 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the oiling roller rotation speed control includes
detecting the weight of the resin delivered to the resin reservoir; detecting the weight of the resin that falls from the oiling roller; detecting a winding length of the wound tow prepreg, calculating the amount of resin applied to the wound tow prepreg from the weight of resin delivered to the resin reservoir and the weight of resin that falls from the oiling roller, and calculating the resin content of the wound tow prepreg from the winding length of the wound tow prepreg and the amount of resin applied to the wound tow prepreg.

12 . The method according to claim 8 , further comprising:
preparing a box-shaped member including a groove surrounded by side walls and a bottom wall; arranging the box-shaped member in contact with the oiling roller to form a cavity that holds resin between the oiling roller and the box-shaped member; and supplying resin onto the oiling roller from a slit-like opening formed between the groove and the oiling roller.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
narrowing a lateral width of a bottom surface of the box-shaped member in a stepped manner; and rectifying a flow of the resin supplied to the oiling roller with the box-shaped member.

14 . The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
detecting the weight of resin that falls from a travel path of the tow prepreg at a downstream side of the oiling roller, wherein the amount of resin applied to the wound tow prepreg is calculated from the weight of the resin delivered to the resin reservoir, the weight of the resin that falls from the oiling roller, and the weight of resin that falls from the travel path of the tow prepreg at the downstream side of the oiling roller.

Assignees

• Mizuno Kk
• Mizuno Technics Corp

Inventors

• Iwata Mototaka
• Utsumi Akiyoshi

Classifications

• B05C1/08

  using a roller {or other rotating member which contacts the work along a generating line} · CPC title

• B05C11/10

  Storage, supply or control of liquid or other fluent material; Recovery of excess liquid or other fluent material {(B05C1/0813, B05C5/0225, B05C17/002 and B05C19/06 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B05D1/28 Primary

  performed by transfer from the surfaces of elements carrying the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. brushes, pads, rollers · CPC title

• B29C70/00

  Shaping composites, i.e. plastics material comprising reinforcements, fillers or preformed parts, e.g. inserts · CPC title

• B29B15/122 Primary

  with a matrix in liquid form, e.g. as melt, solution or latex · CPC title