ABSTRACT Since the manufacturing process quality conditions both the quality of the structure and the quality of its material constituants, we are going to study the thermochemical phenomena which occur during the polymerization reaction. Therefore, we propose a finite element model for the thermical equations (non-linear, non-stationnary, anisotropic), coupled to the equations of chemical kinetics, in order to include the heat generation during the curing process. To verify the accuracy of this model, the simulation of the curing process of a carbon/epoxy laminated sheet is performed and numerical and experimental results are succesfully compared. Finally, in order to prove that this numerical tool could be an assistance to design and optimization of industrial curing processes, the manufacturing of a complex composite structure is analysed.