Thermoplastic Resin Transfer Moulding in a rapid manufactured mould

Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM) is a low-cost process for the production of composite parts with thermosetting resins. However, the economic convenience is lost in the case of large components, such as aeronautical panels, because of the high tooling cost. Step milling of a resin master for the electro-deposition of a nickel shell is proposed in this study as a valid alternative for the fabrication of a resin transfer mould. This solution allows overcoming the limitations regarding part size and cutting down tooling costs, but the expected dimensional accuracy needs to be assessed. On the field of materials, innovative thermoplastic resins are now available that can be used in the formof lowviscosity oligomers for optimal mould filling and fibre impregnation. Subsequent in situ polymerization provides high toughness composites. Cyclic Butylen Terephtalate (CBT), which polymerizes into PBT (Poly-Butylen Terephtalate), is studied in this work. The research focuses on two objectives: quantifying the dimensional accuracy of the technological chain and setting up the process of in situ polymerization.