US 12,233,609 B2
Bundling apparatus and method for making preform charges
Greg Oden, Garden City, ID (US); Scott Digiorgio, Berkeley, CA (US); Rose Cheung Atkinson, Emeryville, CA (US); Zachary Aaron August, San Mateo, CA (US); and Maxwell Harshorn Shimshak, Oakland, CA (US)
Assigned to Arris Composites Inc., Berkeley, CA (US)
Filed by Arris Composites Inc., Berkeley, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 2, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/229,604.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/394,789, filed on Aug. 3, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0042708 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. B29C 70/54 (2006.01); B29B 11/04 (2006.01); B29B 11/16 (2006.01); B29C 70/08 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 70/543 (2013.01) [B29B 11/04 (2013.01); B29B 11/16 (2013.01); B29C 70/081 (2013.01); B29C 2793/0054 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for forming a preform charge, the preform charge consisting of a plurality of preforms, the apparatus comprising:
a guide module, wherein the guide module receives a plurality of fiber bundles and aligns the plural fiber bundles so that each fiber bundle abuts at least one other fiber bundle;
a tacking module, wherein the tacking module adheres at least some of the fiber bundles, after alignment, to adjacent fiber bundles;
a bundle-advancement module, wherein the bundle-advancement module controls motion of the fiber bundles through the apparatus;
a cutting module, wherein the cutting module cuts the tacked fiber bundles to a desired length, thereby forming the preform charge consisting of the plurality of preforms.