Abstract: Example approaches are disclosed for manufacturing composite or fiber reinforcement preforms. Liquid, fibrous, binding and potentially other materials are mixed into a composite mixture slurry in a slurry container. A porous tool having a specific porous outer surface portion approximating a specific exterior surface portion of a spatial shape of a final product is immersed in the slurry container. A suction pressure is applied to draw a portion of the fibrous material intermixed with a corresponding portion of the binding material in the slurry onto the specific outer surface portion. The porous tool attached with the wet preform is removed from the slurry container. The wet preform is partially dried into a partially dried preform attached to the porous tool. The partially dried preform is dried, solidified and/or consolidated and/or injected with a resin and cured into a solid composite preform of the spatial shape of the final product.

Abstract: A fiber-reinforced polymer composite assembly, that includes a plurality of sheets, each formed from a composite mixture including a fibrous material and a resin, wherein each of the first plurality of sheets are cut to one or more predetermined dimensions. The plurality of sheets are configured to form a stack, and wherein the stack is shaped by positioning the stack on a mold and pressing and consolidating/curing the stack to form a doubly-curved geometric shape. An insert may be positioned between the plurality of sheets, prior to the pressing and consolidating/curing, wherein the fibrous material may in include paper, and wherein the resin includes one of a thermoset resin or a thermoplastic resin.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for producing production grade prototype vehicle parts. The system uses large-scale printing to create a tooling, which is strong enough to subsequently be used in a compression molding machine to mold prototype vehicle parts that have similar mechanical properties to production grade vehicle parts.