Importance

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Abstract

A composite plastic article having a foam core between reinforced plastic skin layers is made by placing foam spacers, a lower reinforcement preform, a foam core and an upper reinforcement preform on a lower mold part. An upper mold part is then mated with the lower mold part in a partially closed position to form a sealed mold cavity containing the foam spacers, reinforcement preforms and the foam core with fill spaces provided adjacent exterior surfaces of the reinforcement preforms. A low viscosity resin is then injected into the fill spaces while the mold parts are held in the partially closed position. The mold parts are then moved to a fully closed position. This distributes the resin across the exterior surfaces and forces the resin into the preforms so that the resin thoroughly penetrates throughout the interstices of the preforms and bonds to the foam core. The fill cavities are preferably filled with the low viscosity resin to about 50% of capacity by volume and the fill spaces are preferably completely eliminated when the mold parts are moved to the fully closed position. The foam spacers have a lower crush resistance than the reinforcement preforms and the foam core so that movement of the mold parts to the fully closed position crushes the foam spacers into waste grooves of the lower mold part.

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First Claim