Prepreg failed to cure. Bizarre


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cpkielycua
cpkielycua
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So I figured out the problem.  I was using a different oven (much larger) the oven had two large fans meant to distribute the heat.  The fans were stuck due to ungreased bearings.  The part did not get to the usual cure temperature.  When I rebaked the part, I did not bake it long enough.  

I have since baked two parts with the same material and they came out just fine.  
Thanks for the help!
scottracing
scottracing
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how old was the prepreg when you bought it? and how much has it been sat outside at room temp?
cpkielycua
cpkielycua
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All parameters were the same. What worked last time under the exact same conditions did not work this time.  The only difference was time about 4 mos since the last build   What is perplexing, is old prepreg will cure. This was perfectly workable but just will not cure. 
Fasta
Fasta
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Was your last cure also with an aluminium mould?

Do you control temp by temp by the air temp or with a thermo couple on the mould?

Basically what I am getting at is if you are controlling the temp of the air then the temp of the metal mould will lag far behind as it soaks up so much heat and takes longer to get to temp. Then the dwell duration would be far short of what it should have??




cpkielycua
cpkielycua
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I am using a layer of the surface carbon with 2 layers of 400 gsm prepreg. I used the same material from the same role successfully in the past at the same temperature and cure time. 150f and 200 f. I use an aluminum mold under constant vacuum. The only change in procedure has been time since last used (about 4 months). The carbon is probably 8 months old or so, and has been frozen when not used. The carbon failed to cure. It is quite bizarre. 
Any ideas would help. Typically when the shelf life is exceeded the carbon cures, this seemed to dot he opposite. There were no unusual signs prior to the baking. I have made numerous successful parts using this procedure, this is my first odd failure of this type. 
Edited 10 Years Ago by cpkielycua
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