Patents Assigned to CSS COMPOSITES LLC
  • Patent number: 11142020
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for producing complex components using a reinforced thermoplastic material. The complex components can include contoured or curved outer surfaces, and in some cases define a cavity. In certain examples, one or more thermoplastic materials are arranged to form a wheel component, such as that adapted to define a rim of the bicycle. Thermal bonding can be used to join multiple reinforced thermoplastic materials to one another in order to form a cavity of the wheel component or other complex shape. In certain examples, a portion of a tooling assembly can be pressurized to maintain a shape of the cavity during thermal bonding and cooling. This can remove the need for a sacrificial bladder or other structure that would maintain the shape of the cavity, allowing for a seamless final component, optionally absent indicia of bladder exit or other seams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: CSS COMPOSITES LLC
    Inventors: Jason Christensen, Joseph Stanish, Roland Christensen