US 12,220,842 B2
System and method for preparing pre-impregnated continous fiber tapes and filaments
Dhinesh Ramupillai Kanagaraj, Tamil Nadu (IN); Akshay Ballal, Tamil Nadu (IN); and Raghav Sanadi, Karnataka (IN)
Assigned to FABHEADS AUTOMATION PVT. LTD., Tamil Nadu (IN)
Appl. No. 18/020,950
Filed by FABHEADS AUTOMATION PVT. LTD., Tamil Nadu (IN)
PCT Filed Aug. 10, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/057359
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 13, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/034491, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 17, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 202041034421 (IN), filed on Aug. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0294330 A1, Sep. 21, 2023
Int. Cl. B32B 41/00 (2006.01); B29B 11/16 (2006.01); B29B 15/12 (2006.01); C08J 5/06 (2006.01)
CPC B29B 15/122 (2013.01) [B29B 11/16 (2013.01); C08J 5/06 (2013.01); C08J 2300/22 (2013.01); C08J 2300/24 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system 100 for preparing pre-impregnated continuous fiber tapes and filaments, the system comprising:
an agitation unit 101 configured to draw a plurality of fibers from a material source and oscillate the plurality of fibers in a back and forth motion, perpendicular to a feed direction and along a plane of the plurality of fibers, thereby forming a plurality of agitated fibers;
an impregnation unit 102 configured to impinge a metered matrix material on the moving agitated fibers and pass the said agitated fibers over a plurality of stationary lobed surfaces 304 in the impregnation unit 102, thereby forming an impregnated tape 306; and
a consolidation unit 104 comprising a consolidation die 503, wherein the consolidation die 503 is heated in order to pass the impregnated tape 306 through the said consolidation die 503 and convert the impregnated tape 306 into one or more continuous fiber filaments, wherein a multistage channel in the consolidation die 503 is configured to gradually decrease cross section of the impregnated tape 306 to increase impregnation efficiency.