NET-SHAPE MANUFACTURING OF COMPOSITES IS THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOSITE PARTS THAT REQUIRE MINOR FINISHING ONLY. FOR EFFECTIVE NET-SHAPE MANUFACTURING OF 350 DEGREE F. AEROSPACE COMPOSITES, OVERALL PROCESS, TOOLING AND EQUIPMENT DESIGN MUST REPRODUCE OR EXCEED THE PROCESS CONTROL AND PART QUALITY PRESENT IN AUTOCLAVE MOLDING. AN EIGHT-MONTH SURVEY OF THE COMPOSITES INDUSTRY WAS CONDUCTED TO IDENTIFY PROMISING NEW METHODS OF THERMOSET COMPOSITES MANUFACTURING WHICH COULD APPLY TO NET SHAPE FABRICATION OF COMPOSITES AND THEREBY REDUCE COST. IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN SPECIFIC ELEMENTS OF COMPOSITE FABRICATION, SUCH AS TOOLING FABRICATION, FIBER PLACEMENT TECHNIQUES, FIBER IMPREGNATION TECHNIQUES, AND CURING PROCESS CONTROL. THESE WERE TERMED SUB-TECHNOLOGIES. YET NO NEW IMPROVEMENT REPRESENTED A COMPLETELY NEW APPROACH TO COMPOSITES MANUFACTURING. HOWEVER, A NEW APPROACH, TERMED UNITIZED
| Number of Pages : | 24 |
| Published : | 06/01/1993 |
