Production system to form, cut, and join by using a press machine for continuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic sheets

To build a processing method for textile carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) sheets, a production system to form, cut, and join the sheets by using a mechanical servo press machine was developed and examined. The system's problems were analyzed, and attempts were made to solve them through a series of processes. In press forming, the effects of sheet geometry, fiber orientation, and slide motion on the forming of the variant-cross-sectional-beam, which has a narrow and wide part, were investigated. In addition, the shear-cutting method was chosen trimming the unnecessary region of the variant-cross-sectional-beam. For the joining process, a thermal welding method that uses a heating-plate was chosen. The closed-sectional-beam was fabricated by thermally welding a pair of the variant-cross-sectional-beams. Finally, the potential of the production system for textile CFRTP sheets using the mechanical servo press machine was discussed.