The Boeing Company
Method for impregnating a preform with resin utilizing a caul plate having a channel for distributing resin

Abstract:

Systems and methods for fabricating composite parts. One embodiment is a method that includes selecting a caul plate having a body and a trough disposed at a side of the body which defines a channel that hangs beneath the body, the caul plate further having an opening disposed between the trough and the lower surface to form a fluid pathway for resin within the channel to exit into a preform. The method also includes placing the caul plate atop a preform of dry fiber and aligning the channel with a periphery of the preform, placing resin into the trough, and impregnating the preform with resin from the trough.