Die-less Forming of Thermoplastic-Matrix Continuous Fiber Composite Materials—Process and Demonstration

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Conventionally, large components made of thermoplastic matrices and continuous fibers are manufactured in autoclaves using dies. As the applications of composite materials increase, there is a need to reduce costs and increase manufacturing flexibility. This need has led to the development of a new concept called “die-less forming”. The concept of “kinematically admissible bending” is central to the concept of die-less forming. The concepts behind die-less forming have been tested in preliminary experiments on a two-roller demonstration machine. Induction heating was used to locally heat the composite as it moved into the forming zone, where it was bent using a specially designed cluster roller. Induction heating combined with a variable velocity profile was successful in establishing a uniform heating profile. Experiments were conducted for multidirectional APC-2 carbon/PEEK fiber composites and the composite bending behavior was explained using energy methods.