Resin Transfer Molding and

Related Processes
Douglas J. Gardner
Professor
Wood-Polymer Hybrid Composites

Overview
• Liquid Molding
– Injection molding
– Compression molding
– Resin Transfer
Molding
• Pultrusion
• Extrusion
• Filament Winding

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 Comparison of the three main types
of Liquid Molding

Choosing a Processing Strategy

• When choosing a processing method for making a
specific part, many design factors influence
process selection:
– Geometric issues - Part shape
– Roughness - Tolerance
– Part size - Material factors
– Production factors - Production rate
– Production Volume - Time to market
• While all these issues influence process selection, the
situation is not as simple as it appears. The factors are
interrelated, and have a direct relationship to costs and the
characteristics of the final part.

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 Resin Transfer Molding
• Originally introduced in the mid 1940s but met with little
commercial success until the 1960s and 1970s
• RTM appears uniquely capable of satisfying the low-
cost/high- volume 500-50,000 parts per year of the
automotive industry.
• Variations of the RTM process make it well suited for the
production of large, complex, thick-sectioned structures for
infrastructure and military applications. For example, the
glass- fiber / vinyl-ester bridge deck.
• The automotive industry has used resin transfer molding
(RTM) for decades.

RTM Process-Step 1
• In the RTM process, dry
(i.e., unimpregnated )
reinforcement is pre-
shaped and oriented into a
skeleton of the actual part
known as the preform,
which is inserted into a
matched die mold.

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 RTM Process-Step 2
• The mold is then closed, and
a low-viscosity reactive fluid
is injected into the tool. The
air is displaced and escapes
from vent ports placed at the
high points. During this time,
known as the injection or
infiltration stage, the resin
"wets out” the fibers. Heat
applied to the mold activates
polymerization mechanisms
that solidify the resin in the
step known as cure.

RTM Process-Step 3
• The resin cure begins during
filling and continues after
the filling process. Once the
part develops sufficient
green strength, it is moved
or demolded. Green strength
refers to the strength of a
part before it has completely
cured. The green strength is
an indication of how well it
holds its shape until it is
completely crosslinked.

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 RTM Schematic

• On first inspection, RTM appears to be a simple three-step

process: preforming followed by injection and cure, as
shown in this schematic. In reality, however, as shown by
this schematic, it is much more complicated because
processing is integrally coupled to performance.

Benefits of RTM
• Perhaps the greatest benefit of RTM relative to other polymer
composite manufacturing techniques is the separation of the
molding process from the design of the fiber architecture.
• Other benefits afforded by RTM include:
– Low capital investment - Good surface quality
– Tooling flexibility - Large, complex shapes
– Ribs, cores and inserts - Parts integration
– Range of resin systems -Range of reinforcements
– Controllable fiber volume fraction

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 RTM-Material Selection
• Resins and Fibers
• Processing Issues
– Permeability (X,Y and
Z directions)
– Compressibility
– Drapability
• Performance Issues
– Moduli, strengths, etc.
– Durability

RTM Requirements
• Processing • Performance
Requirements Requirements
– Time-Temperature- – Strength
Viscosity – Modulus
– Cure Cycle – Toughness
– Post-Cure – Service/Use Temp
– Pot Life

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 A "Good" RTM Resin System
• RTM resin systems include
polyesters, vinyl esters,
urethanes, epoxy phenolics
and bismaleimides.
• Generally, low-performance
resins are easier to process
and cost significantly less
than high-performance
systems.

Common Preforming Techniques

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 Traditional Cut-and-Place Preforming

• Uses most 2-D and some 3-D fabrics

– Chopped-strand mat
– Continuous-strand mat
– Unidirectional fabric
– 2-D weaves
– 3-D knits
• Cut individual fabric layers to the desired shape
• Manually assemble fabric layers within the female
mold cavity
• Compact preform within the tool

Directed-Fiber Preforming
• Directed fiber
preforming involves
the spray-up of
fiberglass and binder
onto a perforated
screen previously
shaped so that the
preform is identical to
the part to be molded.

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 Stamping of Thermoformable Materials

• Stamping is used to
shape thermoformable
continuous strand mat
into complex
preforms.
"Thermoformable"
refers to the binder's
ability to soften during
heating and become
rigid when cooled.

2-Dimensional Circular Braiding

• This is a textile process in
which yarn (or roving)
bundles are intertwined to
form a continuous flat or
tubular fabric. Either
biaxial or triaxial fabrics
may be formed. A preform
may be developed by
depositing multiple layers
of reinforcement onto the
mandrel.

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 Inserts
• Processing-Related • Performance-Related
Issues Issues
– Influence of insert on – Long-term performance
resin flow – Effect of insert position on
part performance
– Effect of resin flow on
– Performance under severe
insert positioning environmental conditions
– Adhesion between – Load/stress transfer
insert and matrix resin between insert-matrix-
composite
– Residual stress
– Design methodology (e.g.,
development during insert shape, location, etc.)
cure cycle

Cores and Bladders

• Cores and bladders can be • Materials:
used to take up volume – Foam cores -
and increase the moment polyurethane, phenolic,
of inertia. Factors to etc.
consider when selecting a
– Honeycomb cores
core material:
– part complexity – Blow molded cores -
– dimensional tolerance / HDPE, rubber-
stability modified HDPE, etc.
– resin injection and preform – Balsa wood
compaction pressure
– manufacturing cycle time

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 Tooling: Seals

• Mold Seal
– Can be used with vacuum
– Grooves are machine in tool for placement
– Elastomer
– Silicone (high- temperature applications ~400 °F)

Tooling: Seals

• Resin Trough Seal

– Seal formed by resin outflow from previous run.
– Mold faces must mate very well.

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 Tooling: Seals

• Pinch Ring Seal

– Preform must be larger than final part requirement
– Pinch ring acts as a barrier to resin flow
– Pressure control is necessary
– Fiber crushing (glass) can damage the tool

Tooling: Mold Clamping and Alignment

• Clamping
– "C" Clamps • Criteria for the
– Perimeter Clamp selection of a
– Air bags clamping system:
– Pneumatic press (30-0 – Surface area of molded
tons) part
– Hydraulic press (>100 – Injection pressure
tons) – Cycle time
• Alignment – Surface requirements
(appearance)
– Guide pins are typically
used to bring male and – Thickness uniformity
female mold halves considerations
together.

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 Tooling: Mold Heating Methods

• Platen heating. In this method the tool is kept in a press

and the platens of the press are heated.
• Integral heating. This is the most common method. The
tool is machined with tubes integral to it. Hot water or oil
flows through the tubes to heat the tool.
• Oven. The whole tool is placed in an oven.

Integral Heating Methods

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 Tooling: Location of Injection and
Vent Port(s)
• Vents must be located near the last areas to
fill. Important considerations in choosing
injection and vent port locations are:
– Part geometry
– Permeability throughout the preform
– Resin gel time. Multiple ports may be needed
for quick-curing resin.
– Desired molding cycle time
– Removal of entrapped air from preform

Properties of a Good Injection

System
• Accurate ration control
• Temperature control on all
parts of the system
• Positive displacement --
no back flow
• Efficient circulation
• Efficient mixing
• Easy to clean and maintain

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 Injection: RTM Static Mixer

Injection: Double Acting System

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 • Reaction Cure
characteristics
– cure reactions
– reaction kinetics
• Thermal
characteristics
– thermal
conductivity,
specific heat and
density
• Chemo-Rheological
characteristics
– viscosity/temp/cure

RTM Cost
• The coupling of the
various stages demands a
concurrent approach to
select cost effective
selection of materials,
preform architecture and
processing conditions
• The integrated nature of
RTM requires a careful
balance of processing and
performance issues

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 Structural Reaction Injection Molding
• Extension of RIM and RRIM processes:
– RIM (Reaction Injection Molding): A process for molding liquid
chemical systems in which mixing of two to four components in
the proper chemical ratio is accomplished by a high-pressure
impingement-type mixing head. The mixed material is delivered
into the mold at low pressure, where it reacts (cures).
– RRIM (Reinforced RIM): A reaction injection molding process
with reinforcement (typically chopped fibers or flakes) added to
the liquid chemical systems.
• Combines multi-component thermoset monomers in a
single chamber through he use of an impingement mixer.
• High injection pressure because of the high reactivity of
the resin system (short processing-cycle times).
• Useful for high- volume, low-performance composite
applications (e.g., spare time covers, bumper beams,
satellite antennas, etc.)

Vacuum-Assisted Resin Injection

• Liquid molding processing method popularized by
Lotus to manufacture the Elan, the Esprit, and the
Excel automobiles.
• Vacuum used to draw resin through the preform
and hold the mold closed during processing.
• Low volume of parts produced per year.
• Matched tooling system is used, which allows
integrated structures to be formed.

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 Thermal Expansion Resin Transfer
Molding
• Involves the forming of a rigid thermoelastic foam to a
desired shape by direct molding or compression molding
with heat.
• The core is wrapped with dry- fabric reinforcement an then
the entire assembly is loaded into the mold.
• A custom- formulated epoxy resin is injected into the
closed tool.
• The mold is heated, after it has been filled with the matrix
resin, causing the foam mandrel to expand, which
generates laminating pressure against the internal mold.

Seamann's Composite Resin Infusion

Molding Process (SCRIMP)
• Process developed and patented by Seamann's
Composites.
• Hybrid of RTM, VARI and vacuum bagging.
• One-sided tooling.
• Injection is usually achieved through the use of a
high-permeability surface layer to cause through-
the-thickness flow.
• SCRIMP can be used to fabricate large-scale parts
with low void content:
– boat slips
– infrastructure

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