1. A production method for a fiber-reinforced plastic, in which a preform made of a reinforcing fiber substrate and having a three-dimensional shape and an inner mold operatable in a lateral direction different from an up-down direction are disposed in a mold cavity formed by an upper mold and a lower mold, and a state in which a plate thickness of the preform has been made greater than a thickness of a molded article to be obtained is brought about, and a matrix resin is injected and impregnated into the preform, and, after that, at least one of the upper mold and the lower mold is operated toward the other and the inner mold is operated in the lateral direction to pressurize the preform so that the thickness of the preform is controlled so as to be equal to the thickness of the molded article to be obtained, and subsequently the matrix resin is hardened by heating to obtain the molded article.
2. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein the inner mold is operated by pressing the inner mold from an outside of the mold cavity, using a bar-shaped body inserted in a through hole that is provided in the upper mold or the lower mold and that provides communication between the outside of the mold cavity and an inside of the mold cavity.
3. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 2, wherein the bar-shaped body is a male threaded bolt, and the bar-shaped body is rotated by a female thread provided on the through hole, and amount of movement of the bar-shaped body is controlled by number of rotations of the bar-shaped body.
4. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein a bag body is disposed in a gap between the inner mold and the upper mold or the lower mold, and the inner mold is operated by expanding the bag body by enclosing a pressurized fluid in the bag body.
5. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein a thermally expansive body is disposed in a gap between the inner mold and the upper mold or the lower mold, and the inner mold is operated by thermally expanding the thermally expansive body by heating.
6. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 5, wherein the thermally expansive body includes an extended portion, and the extended portion is disposed in a gap between the inner mold and the upper mold or the lower mold, and the gap between the inner mold and the upper mold or the lower mold is sealed with the extended portion by thermally expanding the thermally expansive body by heating.
7. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein operation distance of the inner mold is controlled by a spacer disposed in the mold cavity.
8. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein the preform is constituted of a base portion and a reinforcement portion.
9. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein the preform is constituted in a C-shaped sectional shape.
10. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of inner molds are disposed in a lengthwise direction of the preform, and amounts of movement of the plurality of inner molds are individually controlled according to a shape of the preform.
11. The production method for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 10, wherein the preform has a point of change in plate thickness in the lengthwise direction, and the inner molds are disposed individually at sites that are different in plate thickness, and the amounts of movement of the inner molds are individually controlled according to the plate thickness.
12. A production apparatus for a fiber-reinforced plastic, comprising: an upper mold and a lower mold which are capable of forming a mold cavity for disposing a preform that is made of a reinforcing fiber substrate and that has a three-dimensional shape and at least one of which is operatable toward the other; an inner mold operatable within the mold cavity so as to pressurize the preform in a lateral direction different from an up-down direction; resin injection means for injecting a matrix resin into the mold cavity; and heating means for hardening the matrix resin.
13. The production apparatus for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 12, further comprising, in the upper mold or the lower mold, a through hole that provides communication between an inside and an outside of the mold cavity, wherein a bar-shaped body for operating the inner mold by pressing the inner mold from the outside of the mold cavity is inserted in the through hole.
14. The production apparatus for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 12, wherein a bag body that is expanded by enclosing a pressurized fluid in the bag body is disposed between a gap between the inner mold and the upper mold or the lower mold.
15. The production apparatus for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 12, wherein a thermally expansive body that thermally expands by heating is disposed in a gap between the inner mold and the upper mold or the lower mold.
16. The production apparatus for the fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 15, wherein the thermally expansive body includes an extended portion, and the extended portion is disposed in a gap between the inner mold and the upper mold or the lower mold.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A rigid carrier for stably associating a flexible chemical array substrate during array manufacturing comprising a first surface for receiving a flexible chemical array substrate and a second surface comprising a chuck-coupling region for coupling said rigid carrier to a chuck.
2. The rigid carrier of claim 1, wherein said rigid carrier is a vacuum carrier configured to apply a vacuum to a flexible chemical array substrate when said flexible chemical array substrate is positioned on said first surface.
3. The rigid carrier of claim 2, wherein said vacuum carrier comprises a getter.
4. The rigid carrier of claim 1, wherein said rigid carrier is an electrostatic carrier configured to apply an electrical field between said flexible array substrate and said first surface of said rigid carrier when said flexible array substrate is positioned on said first surface.
5. The rigid carrier of claim 1, wherein said rigid carrier is an electrostaticvacuum hybrid carrier.
6. The rigid carrier of claim 2, wherein said rigid carrier comprises a vacuum reservoir.
7. A structure comprising:
(a) a rigid carrier comprising a first surface and a second surface comprising a chuck-coupling region for coupling said rigid carrier to a chuck; and
(b) a flexible chemical array substrate stably associated to said first surface.
8. The structure of claim 7, further comprising a chuck.
9. The structure of claim 8, wherein said chuck connectable to a vacuum source.
10. The structure of claim 8, wherein said chuck is connectable to a voltage source.
11. The structure of claim 7, wherein a perimeter of said flexible chemical array substrate is sealed to said first surface with at least one sealing member.
12. The structure of claim 11, wherein said sealing member is at least one of a mechanical clamp, tacks, pins and adhesive.
13. The structure of claim 7, wherein said flexible array substrate is positioned on top of prongs of a pedestal supporting a plurality of prongs.
14. A method of processing at least one chemical array on a flexible chemical array substrate, said method comprising:
(a) coupling a rigid carrier to a chuck,
(b) positioning a flexible chemical array substrate on a surface of said rigid carrier either before, during or after said coupling;
(c) stably associating said flexible chemical array substrate to said rigid carrier surface; and
(d) performing at least one chemical array process on said stably associated flexible chemical array substrate.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein said process is a chemical array fabrication process.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein said process is a chemical array assay process.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein said chuck is in electrical communication with a voltage source.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein said method comprises applying a voltage to stably associate said flexible chemical array substrate to said rigid carrier surface.
19. The method of claim 14, wherein said chuck is in fluid communication with a vacuum source.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein said method comprises applying a vacuum to stably associate said flexible chemical array substrate to said rigid carrier surface.
21. The method of claim 14, wherein said rigid carrier comprises a getter.
22. The method of claim 14, wherein said method comprises transporting said rigid carrier between at least two different processing stations and said method comprises performing steps (a)-(d) at a first station having a first chuck and performing said at least one chemical array process on said stably associated flexible chemical array substrate at said first station, decoupling said rigid carrier from said first chuck and moving said rigid carrierflexible chemical array substrate structure to a second chuck at a second station, coupling said rigid carrier to said second chuck and performing steps (c)-(d) at said second station, and performing said at least one chemical array process on said stably associated flexible chemical array substrate at said second station.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein said process is a chemical array fabrication process.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein said process is a chemical array assay process.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein said flexible chemical array substrate remains stably associated to said rigid carrier during said moving.
26. The method of claim 14, wherein said method comprises sealing a perimeter of said flexible array substrate to said surface using a sealing member.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein said sealing member is a mechanical clamp and said method comprises:
(a) opening said mechanical clamp;
(b) positioning said flexible chemical array perimeter and said rigid carrier in said opened mechanical clamp; and
(c) closing said mechanical clamp about said flexible chemical array perimeter and said rigid carrier to seal said perimeter of said flexible chemical array substrate to said surface of said rigid carrier.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein said sealing member is adhesive and said method comprises applying said adhesive sealing member to said perimeter of said flexible array substrate to seal said perimeter of said flexible array substrate to said surface of said rigid carrier.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein said adhesive is capable of going from a first attachment state to a second detachment state in response to an applied stimulus and said method comprises applying a stimulus to change said adhesive to said second state to detach said perimeter from said surface.
30. The method of claim 28, wherein said method comprises separating a region of said flexible chemical array substrate from said attached perimeter.
31. The method of claim 14, wherein said method comprises stably associating said flexible chemical array substrate with a pedestal supporting a plurality of prongs.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein said flexible chemical array substrate is stably associated with said prongs prior to fabricating said chemical array on said flexible chemical array substrate.
33. The method of claim 14, wherein said rigid carrier comprises a pedestal supporting a plurality of prongs.
34. The method of claim 14, wherein said method further comprises releasing said flexible chemical substrate from said stable association with said rigid carrier after at least one chemical array has been processed on said flexible chemical array substrate, removing said flexible chemical array substrate carrying said at least one chemical array from said rigid carrier and placing said flexible chemical array substrate carrying said at least one chemical array on a support.
35. The method of claim 34, wherein said support comprises a pedestal supporting a plurality of prongs, and said flexible chemical array substrate carrying said at least one chemical array is placed on a surface of a prong.
36. The method of claim 34, wherein said method comprises a plurality of chemical arrays disposed on said flexible chemical array substrate and said method comprises separating said plurality of chemical arrays into individual pieces of flexible chemical substrate each having at least one chemical array disposed thereon, and placing each of said individual pieces on different prongs of said support.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein said placing comprises stably associating each of said individual pieces on different prongs of said support.
38. A method of performing an array assay, said method comprising:
(a) contacting a sample to at least one chemical array fabricated according to the method of claim 14; and
(b) detecting the presence of any binding complexes on said surface of said prong.
39. A kit comprising:
(a) an array assembly comprising at least one chemical array fabricated according to the method of claim 14; and
(b) reagents for performing an array assay using said array assembly.