US Patent Issued to The Boeing on May 13 for "Apparatus and method for manufacturing a composite part to provide smooth join surfaces of the composite part" (South Carolina Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 12 -- United States Patent no. 12,296,546, issued on May 13, was assigned to The Boeing Co. (Arlington, Va.).

"Apparatus and method for manufacturing a composite part to provide smooth join surfaces of the composite part" was invented by Jennifer F. Branton (Summerville, S.C.), Richard E. Heath (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) and Michael C. Hargrove (Goose Creek, S.C.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A composite-part manufacturing method comprises placing a bladder against a trough surface of a tool that has a tool radius portion elongating between the trough surface and a major surface of the tool, and placing a radius filler in vicinity of the tool radius portion. The method also...