wet laying carbon fibre into mould - bubbles and gaps!


Author
Message
8900120d
8900120d
Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 37, Visits: 939
Hi guys,
im new to composites and ive been experimenting with carbon fibre but i just cant get it right.
The plug consists of several edges close to each other

here is what i have done so far:
1) made a mould using 14pa tooling gelcoat, 491pa ISO polyester resin, and 3 layers of 200g fibreglass, the mould came out perfectly!
2) sanded down the mould and cleaned it using Easy Lease mould cleaner
3) 1 coat of PVA release agent with brush 
4) 1 coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener - wait for it to become tacky 2-4 hours
5) Lay the first layer of carbon fibre (200g 2x2) - IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THE CARBON FIBRE STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF Sad
6) second coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener
7) Lay second layer of carbon fibre - SECOND LAYER OF CARBON FIBRE MADE IT EVEN HARDER TO MAKE IT STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF!
8) repeat step 6+7 for third layer of carbon fibre
9) release the part after 24h 

as you can see from the pictures, the part has loads of lifts (bubbles) is there anything im doing wrong? 


  



Fasta
Fasta
Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 468, Visits: 3.5K
sahil mohmed - 2/27/2019 10:24:30 PM
Hi guys,
im new to composites and ive been experimenting with carbon fibre but i just cant get it right.
The plug consists of several edges close to each other

here is what i have done so far:
1) made a mould using 14pa tooling gelcoat, 491pa ISO polyester resin, and 3 layers of 200g fibreglass, the mould came out perfectly!
2) sanded down the mould and cleaned it using Easy Lease mould cleaner
3) 1 coat of PVA release agent with brush 
4) 1 coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener - wait for it to become tacky 2-4 hours
5) Lay the first layer of carbon fibre (200g 2x2) - IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THE CARBON FIBRE STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF Sad
6) second coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener
7) Lay second layer of carbon fibre - SECOND LAYER OF CARBON FIBRE MADE IT EVEN HARDER TO MAKE IT STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF!
8) repeat step 6+7 for third layer of carbon fibre
9) release the part after 24h 

as you can see from the pictures, the part has loads of lifts (bubbles) is there anything im doing wrong? 


  



I think this small part is too complicated and detailed with edges and corners that the carbon does not like to stay over. It's just too complex a shape for the carbon.

Best to use the vacuum infusion process with this one, so the vacuum can help hold the carbon in place while the resin will fill everything.





8900120d
8900120d
Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 37, Visits: 939
Fasta - 2/28/2019 8:57:00 AM
sahil mohmed - 2/27/2019 10:24:30 PM
Hi guys,
im new to composites and ive been experimenting with carbon fibre but i just cant get it right.
The plug consists of several edges close to each other

here is what i have done so far:
1) made a mould using 14pa tooling gelcoat, 491pa ISO polyester resin, and 3 layers of 200g fibreglass, the mould came out perfectly!
2) sanded down the mould and cleaned it using Easy Lease mould cleaner
3) 1 coat of PVA release agent with brush 
4) 1 coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener - wait for it to become tacky 2-4 hours
5) Lay the first layer of carbon fibre (200g 2x2) - IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THE CARBON FIBRE STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF Sad
6) second coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener
7) Lay second layer of carbon fibre - SECOND LAYER OF CARBON FIBRE MADE IT EVEN HARDER TO MAKE IT STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF!
8) repeat step 6+7 for third layer of carbon fibre
9) release the part after 24h 

as you can see from the pictures, the part has loads of lifts (bubbles) is there anything im doing wrong? 


  



I think this small part is too complicated and detailed with edges and corners that the carbon does not like to stay over. It's just too complex a shape for the carbon.

Best to use the vacuum infusion process with this one, so the vacuum can help hold the carbon in place while the resin will fill everything.

Thanks alot for the response, i have the Easy composites resin infusion kit on order which will hopefully arrive today. 

i have a few further questions Smile

1) Should the mould be sanded, polished and waxed to a mirror finish for best results in resin infusion?
2) how many layer of PVA release agent would you recommend
3) i have the Easy composites easy lease release agent arriving soon, would you recommend this instead of pva release agent?
4) i live in the UK and currently the temps vary between 1c at night and 10c during the day, im doing all my composite work in a bricked shed, therefore its never room temp. how important is it to keep my work area at room temp?

thanks
oekmont
oekmont
Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)Supreme Being (3.4K reputation)
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 550, Visits: 27K
1) as for any other process: a polished mould gives the best results. If you want a glossy part, of course.
2) none
3)yes
4)very important. I would think about a method of getting a tempered place, before starting anything with epoxy.

8900120d
8900120d
Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)Supreme Being (230 reputation)
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 37, Visits: 939
oekmont - 2/28/2019 12:27:09 PM
1) as for any other process: a polished mould gives the best results. If you want a glossy part, of course.
2) none
3)yes
4)very important. I would think about a method of getting a tempered place, before starting anything with epoxy.

thanks for your response, any reason as to why youd recommend easy lease release agent over PVA?

Fasta
Fasta
Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)Supreme Being (2.8K reputation)
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 468, Visits: 3.5K
8900120d - 2/28/2019 12:37:35 PM
oekmont - 2/28/2019 12:27:09 PM
1) as for any other process: a polished mould gives the best results. If you want a glossy part, of course.
2) none
3)yes
4)very important. I would think about a method of getting a tempered place, before starting anything with epoxy.

thanks for your response, any reason as to why youd recommend easy lease release agent over PVA?

Maybe easy lease alone or you can likely add a regular wax on top of the easy lease too? (this is my method and works so far works with Frekote or Zyvax). 
For infusion you might want to actually spray a very light mist of a spray tack like aerofix to hold the layers all in place as with such small mould details the carbon will be springing out of the shape too and may not go back into the shape even with the vacuum? 
If you have a pva on the mould you will not be able to spray tack the layer to the mould surface as the carbon and spray glue could pull the pva off and make a mess of your final part surface?





Edited 5 Years Ago by Fasta
Classicarbon
C
Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)Supreme Being (590 reputation)
Group: Forum Members
Posts: 86, Visits: 639
8900120d - 2/27/2019 10:24:30 PM
Hi guys,
im new to composites and ive been experimenting with carbon fibre but i just cant get it right.
The plug consists of several edges close to each other

here is what i have done so far:
1) made a mould using 14pa tooling gelcoat, 491pa ISO polyester resin, and 3 layers of 200g fibreglass, the mould came out perfectly!
2) sanded down the mould and cleaned it using Easy Lease mould cleaner
3) 1 coat of PVA release agent with brush 
4) 1 coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener - wait for it to become tacky 2-4 hours
5) Lay the first layer of carbon fibre (200g 2x2) - IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE THE CARBON FIBRE STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF Sad
6) second coat of EL2 Epoxy Laminating Resin + FAST hardener
7) Lay second layer of carbon fibre - SECOND LAYER OF CARBON FIBRE MADE IT EVEN HARDER TO MAKE IT STICK TO THE EDGES WITHOUT LIFTING OFF!
8) repeat step 6+7 for third layer of carbon fibre
9) release the part after 24h 

as you can see from the pictures, the part has loads of lifts (bubbles) is there anything im doing wrong? 


  



Maybe try to use vacuum bag before putting next layer.Will locate prepreg in place and then take it off and apply second layer.

GO

Merge Selected

Merge into selected topic...



Merge into merge target...



Merge into a specific topic ID...




Similar Topics

Reading This Topic

Explore
Messages
Mentions
Search