subject: New Designed Cap Mould Will Give You Beautiful Cap Samle [print this page] We have found that the above technique can be used for structures that are relatively small in shape and for laminates of a limited overall thickness. For larger structures such as marine structures and wind turbine blades which may be from 6 m to in excess of 50 m in length, it is more practicable and advantageous to draw the surface material in the cap mouldfirst, to lay up the structural reinforcement material and to then consolidate and process the thus formed laminate structure to cure the structure and to form the moulded product.
Before the cap mould vacuum pressure is applied, the surface material may be at a temperature sufficient to conform the surface material to the mould. For some surface materials, room temperature may be sufficient to conform the surface material to the mould. For other surface materials, the material may be heated to the desired temperature to allow vacuum assisted thermoforming.
In another embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the step of locating the structural material in relation to the surface material prior to drawing a vacuum pressure within the mould to shape the surface material to the cap mould. In this way, the structural material and surface material are shaped concurrently. Preferably, the structural material is in a tensile relaxed condition in a moulding relationship with the surface material. The structural material and the surface material are clamped together around the periphery of the mould. As the structural material is not under tension, the material can conform to the surface of the mould. This is particularly important for thermoset structural materials which are not thermoformable to the cap mould shape.
