US 11,938,656 B2
Method for manufacturing a fibrous material impregnated with thermoplastic polymer
Gilles Hochstetter, L'Hay les Roses (FR); Mathieu Capelot, Bernay (FR); Thibaut Savart, Sauvagnon (FR); Arthur Pierre Babeau, Pau (FR); Denis Huze, Fontaine sous Jouy (FR); François Tanguy, Mantes-la-Jolie (FR); and Patrice Gaillard, Hagetaubin (FR)
Assigned to ARKEMA FRANCE, Colombes (FR)
Appl. No. 16/623,946
Filed by Arkema France, Colombes (FR)
PCT Filed Jun. 21, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/066564
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 18, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/234439, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 27, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 1755705 (FR), filed on Jun. 22, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0223102 A1, Jul. 16, 2020
Int. Cl. B29B 15/12 (2006.01); B29C 35/08 (2006.01); B29C 70/50 (2006.01); B29K 77/00 (2006.01); B29K 307/04 (2006.01); B29K 507/04 (2006.01)
CPC B29B 15/125 (2013.01) [B29C 35/0805 (2013.01); B29C 70/506 (2013.01); B29C 2035/0822 (2013.01); B29K 2077/00 (2013.01); B29K 2307/04 (2013.01); B29K 2507/04 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of manufacturing an impregnated fibrous material comprising a fibrous material made of continuous fibers and at least one thermoplastic polymer matrix, wherein said impregnated fibrous material is produced as a single unidirectional ribbon or a plurality of unidirectional parallel ribbons and wherein said method comprises:
a step of pre-impregnating said fibrous material while it is in the form of a roving or several parallel rovings with a thermoplastic polymer powder, the pre-impregnating being done with a pre-impregnation system chosen from among a fluidized bed or a spray gun; and
at least one step of heating the thermoplastic polymer powder after the thermoplastic polymer powder has pre-impregnated the fibrous material, the at least one step of heating including melting the thermoplastic polymer powder to impregnate the fibrous material and form the at least one thermoplastic polymer matrix,
the at least one heating step being carried out by means of at least one heat-conducting supporting part (E) and at least one heating system, with the exception of a heated calender, wherein said at least one heating system is chosen from an infrared bulb, a UV bulb or an equipment employing convection heating,
the roving or rovings being partially or wholly in contact with a surface of the at least one supporting part (E) and partially or wholly passing over the surface of the at least one supporting part (E) at a level of the at least one heating system,
wherein the method excludes any electrostatic impregnation method where the continuous fibers gain a deliberate charge, and
wherein the impregnated fibrous material possesses a porosity of less than 10%.