Lockheed Martin has been granted a patent for a system designed to shape composite materials into parts. The system features a rotatable mandrel with adjustable intermediate supports, allowing for precise control of support distances, enhancing the shaping process of composite materials. GlobalData’s report on Lockheed Martin gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Lockheed Martin, Hydrogen fuel cells was a key innovation area identified from patents. Lockheed Martin's grant share as of June 2024 was 68%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Composite material shaping system with adjustable mandrel support
The patent US12043005B2 describes a sophisticated system designed for shaping composite materials into parts. Central to this system is a mandrel, which features an exterior surface tailored to receive the composite material and is rotatable about an axis. The system includes an end support at one end of the mandrel, along with two intermediate supports equipped with belts that contact the mandrel. These supports are adjustable, allowing for variations in the support distance, which is crucial for accommodating different composite thicknesses. The system is further enhanced by a controller that integrates data from a rotational sensor to dynamically adjust the support distance based on the mandrel's angular position, ensuring optimal shaping of the composite material.
Additionally, the system incorporates various components to facilitate its operation. The first intermediate support consists of two arms that can be adjusted horizontally to modify the support distance, while a closed-loop belt spans between these arms to support the mandrel. The design also includes actuators, such as pneumatic cylinders or servo motors, which are responsible for adjusting the positions of the arms based on measurements from deposit sensors that gauge the thickness of the composite material. This level of automation and precision allows for effective shaping of composite parts, with the ability to independently adjust the support distances of both intermediate supports, thereby enhancing the system's versatility and efficiency in manufacturing processes.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
