METHOD FOR PRODUCING THERMOPLASTIC RESIN-IMPREGNATED SHEET-FORM REINFORCING FIBER BUNDLE, AND MOLDED ARTICLE

Provided is a method for producing thermoplastic resin-impregnated sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle obtained by impregnating reinforcing fibers made from continuous fibers with a thermoplastic resin, said method comprising: an application step in which a sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle obtained by arranging reinforcing fibers made from continuous fibers in one direction is passed through an application section which retains thermoplastic resin, and the thermoplastic resin is applied to the sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle to constitute a thermoplastic resin-impregnated sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle; a further impregnation step in which the applied thermoplastic resin is further impregnated into the inside of the thermoplastic resin-impregnated sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle; and a shaping step in which the thermoplastic resin-impregnated sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle is shaped and solidified by cooling. In the application step, the sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle is passed downward in a vertical direction to apply thermoplastic resin to a band-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle, and in the application step and the further impregnation step, the thermoplastic resin is heated to a temperature of at least the melting point +30°C, and the viscosity of the thermoplastic resin in the heated state is 5-200 Pa·s. With regard to the method for producing a thermoplastic resin-impregnated sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle, continuous production which curbs the occurrence of fluff and eliminates fluff blockages is possible, and it is also possible to efficiently impregnate the sheet-shaped reinforcing fiber bundle with a thermoplastic resin, and enable high-speed production.