当前申请(专利权)人：
THE BOEING COMPANY
原始申请(专利权)人：
THE BOEING COMPANY
当前申请(专利权)人地址：
100 North Riverside Plaza, Chicago, IL, US
发明人：
HACKETT, JR., ANDREW ROY
摘要：
A method and apparatus is presented. A portion is cut from a thermoplastic sheet (222) of a first thermoplastic material based on a three dimensional model (232). The portion is secured to a mold (250). The portion and the mold are heated under vacuum to form a structure (204). The structure may take the form of a protective covering. In some illustrative examples, the mold may be formed of a second thermoplastic material based on the three dimensional model using additive manufacturing.
技术问题语段：
The technical problem addressed in this patent is the high cost and time-consuming process of creating metal molds for manufacturing polymeric parts, which can also require large amounts of space. The patent proposes a method and apparatus to address this problem by providing a way to create unique parts from polymeric materials without the need for expensive and time-consuming metal molds.
技术功效语段：
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing a protective removable element that can be easily attached to a surface of a part. The protective removable element is made of a thermoplastic material that is shaped to fit the part and can be easily attached using a mold. The method involves identifying the surface of the part, creating a flat shape for the protective removable element, and then using a mold to form the element. The protective removable element can be used to cover and protect parts during manufacturing processes. The technical effects of this invention include improved protection and easy attachment of parts during manufacturing.
权利要求：
1. A method of manufacturing a protective removable element of an aircraft comprising: cutting a portion from a thermoplastic sheet of a first thermoplastic material based on a three dimensional model; securing the portion to a mold, the method being characterized in that after securing the portion to the mold, then heating the portion and the mold under vacuum to form the protective removable element, wherein the method further comprises forming the mold of a second thermoplastic material based on the three-dimensional model using additive manufacturing, wherein heating the portion and the mold under vacuum to form the protective removable element comprises heating the portion and the mold to a temperature lower than a melting temperature of the second thermoplastic material but sufficient to soften the first thermoplastic material.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: identifying a surface of a part from the three dimensional model; designing a surface shape for a mold surface based on the three dimensional model; and modifying the surface shape to form a modified surface shape.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: wherein modifying the surface shape to form the modified surface shape comprises forming the mold of the second thermoplastic material using the modified surface shape using additive manufacturing.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: forming a protective covering on a part by placing the protective removable element over a surface of the part.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: placing the protective removable element over the surface of the part.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the surface shape to form the modified surface shape comprises a radius to prevent vacuum equipment from forming different radiuses during heating.
7. The method of claim 2, wherein modifying the surface shape to form the modified surface shape comprises introducing a draft angle to influence an interior shape of the protective removable element.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming a mold based on the modified surface shape using additive manufacturing comprises forming a mold of a thermoplastic material using laser sintering, the mold having a base, a radius, and the mold surface.