So my brother and i decided to do our first infusion today and have a couple of questions. We wanted to do a small sample to get the idea of how to do it and didnt have the best success. We layered 2 sheets 0f .017 and 2 sheets of .010 CF at 8x10". We had plenty of resin but the infusion rate was really slow toward the end and eventually did not cover this small 8x10" piece. So i am trying to figure out what we did wrong. As you can see in the picture we had peel ply on top of CF then infusion mesh on ends with spiral tubing at inlet. Ran the pump for approximately 35 min before finally shutting off. We were using fiberglast system 2000 with 20 min epoxy hardener. Thoughts?

Here is a picture at clamp off

> We were using fiberglast system 2000

I don't know this resin, but I assume it is a normal laminating resin. What is its viscosity, in numbers? Is it low enough for infusion? If it doesn't specifically say infusion resin it probably isn't thin enough, especially not for larger parts. This can work for some infusion projects when used with slower hardeners, but often it doesn't.

> with 20 min epoxy hardener.

There you have it. Infusing a 20 minute resin for 35 minutes... it probably started to increase its viscosity even more before it had a chance to infuse the whole part. 20 minutes is too fast for this, you probably used up half of its pot life by mixing and degassing it.

> We had plenty of resin but the infusion rate was really slow toward the end

Pot life is usually determined for 100g batches, sometimes 200g batches. Larger batches if left in a container will react faster.

> As you can see in the picture we had peel ply on top of CF then infusion mesh on ends

Use infusion mesh on the whole part. Resin travel through peel ply is too slow. Peel ply alone is usually used as a resin brake to slow it down at the end of the infusion.

Thank you for the replies. I am thinking our biggest problem was not using the infusion mesh across the whole part. My question though is without the peel ply how do you keep the part from sticking to the CF? Do you lay a full layer of peel ply then a full layer of infusion mesh? 

I really suggest you have a read of products data sheets before trying to use them. A quick google tells me that the System 2000 resin has a mixed viscosity of 950-975cps. That is very very thick for infusion, you ideally want a resin with a mixed viscosity of around 200cps, though I frequently use Renlam 3600 which is 300cps and that works quite well. The System 2000 data sheet does specifically say that it is for open mould processes. On top of that you are using the fast hardener, so your resin would be setting up and increasing in viscosity which is why it slowed down towards the end. For infusion I wouldn't use a system with a pot life under 60 minutes unless it is a very small part. 

Thank you for the information. I didn't realize that we were also using the wrong resin. You guys are awesome and thank you for the help

Also, in addition to whats mentioned above... you are using some very nice through bag connectors for infusion, these will get destroyed pretty darn quick (wait until you try and clean them out!)

Or get the silicone or nylon infusion connectors. Reusable and work great. Cheap as chips too.

I forgot about them! Used them a few times and they work a treat