US 12,269,224 B2
Systems for forming composite parts, methods of forming composite parts, and methods of precisely performing a plurality of operations on a composite part
Jonathan Young Ahn, Seattle, WA (US); Christopher Robert Brown, Seattle, WA (US); Shuonan Dong, Seattle, WA (US); Ricardo Andreas Fritzke, Sammamish, WA (US); and Daniel James McMillan, Edmonds, WA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Jun. 24, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/849,459.
Prior Publication US 2023/0415433 A1, Dec. 28, 2023
Int. Cl. B29C 33/42 (2006.01); B29C 70/54 (2006.01); B29C 37/00 (2006.01); B29L 31/30 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 70/545 (2013.01) [B29C 33/424 (2013.01); B29C 37/0053 (2013.01); B29C 2793/0045 (2013.01); B29K 2995/0072 (2013.01); B29K 2995/0094 (2013.01); B29L 2031/3076 (2013.01); B29L 2031/3085 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for forming a composite part with an imprinted feature, the system comprising:
a layup mandrel that includes:
(i) a mandrel body that defines a layup surface that defines a layup surface finish roughness, wherein the layup surface is configured to receive a plurality of plies of composite material to define a surface contour of the composite part; and
a plurality of regions of isotropic surface finish spaced apart on the layup surface, wherein each region of isotropic surface finish of the plurality of regions of isotropic surface finish is defined by a corresponding textured pin of a plurality of textured pins, wherein each region of isotropic surface finish of the plurality of regions of isotropic surface finish defines a region surface finish roughness that is greater than the layup surface finish roughness, and further wherein each region of isotropic surface finish of the plurality of regions of isotropic surface finish forms an imprinted feature in the composite part that indicates a desired location for a fastener hole to be formed within the composite part.