Whether to invest in a vacuum set up

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Whether to invest in a vacuum set up

Author	Message
CircuitBaker	C CircuitBaker posted 5 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
C Group: Forum Members Posts: 2, Visits: 6	Hi, I'm new to composites, my first attempt was a hand lay up using carbon fibre and flax mixture, it didn't go as intended I've found flax very awkward to wet evenly and make good solid connection with the glass. I'm considering a vacuum, but this investigation was for a small project, which is now turning into a large investment including all consumables and vac accessories. I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to invest in a set up just yet, especially if the experiment turns out to be a dud. I got told to come here from Reddit, I made a post explaining in more detail the project I'm working on: https://www.reddit.com/r/engineering/comments/cmsspm/i_just_messed_up_a_hand_lay_up_with_flax_and/ Is there any small or local cf / vac shops I could visit in the North west? Or anyone with a hobbyist set up that could/would help me create a flat, plain composite sheet? I'm near Manchester. There's lot of companies in aerospace and engineering near me in Burnley, but I'm not sure any of the will just let me rock up and use their equipment! Bit of a long shot anyone on here would be able to help, but thought it was worth asking!
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Lester Populaire	L Lester Populaire posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
L Group: Forum Members Posts: 311, Visits: 13K	+x CircuitBaker - 8/7/2019 5:13:30 PM Hi, I'm new to composites, my first attempt was a hand lay up using carbon fibre and flax mixture, it didn't go as intended I've found flax very awkward to wet evenly and make good solid connection with the glass. I'm considering a vacuum, but this investigation was for a small project, which is now turning into a large investment including all consumables and vac accessories. I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to invest in a set up just yet, especially if the experiment turns out to be a dud. I got told to come here from Reddit, I made a post explaining in more detail the project I'm working on: https://www.reddit.com/r/engineering/comments/cmsspm/i_just_messed_up_a_hand_lay_up_with_flax_and/ Is there any small or local cf / vac shops I could visit in the North west? Or anyone with a hobbyist set up that could/would help me create a flat, plain composite sheet? I'm near Manchester. There's lot of companies in aerospace and engineering near me in Burnley, but I'm not sure any of the will just let me rock up and use their equipment! Bit of a long shot anyone on here would be able to help, but thought it was worth asking! Yeah flax doesn't work very well when not compacted. Idealy you would make those panels by vacuum infusion, but if the size of the panels isn't too big you can probably make some plates with a nice finish by hand laminating and then pressing between some sturdy plates with some clamps all around.
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CircuitBaker	C CircuitBaker posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
C Group: Forum Members Posts: 2, Visits: 6	OK thanks for the tips! I'lm going to continue with the hand laminating, I've had success using only carbon fibre yesterday, I'm going to scrap the flax for now.
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noahark	noahark posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 5, Visits: 40	+x CircuitBaker - 8/7/2019 5:13:30 PM Hi, I'm new to composites, my first attempt was a hand lay up using carbon fibre and flax mixture, it didn't go as intended I've found flax very awkward to wet evenly and make good solid connection with the glass. I'm considering a vacuum, but this investigation was for a small project, which is now turning into a large investment including all consumables and vac accessories. I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to invest in a set up just yet, especially if the experiment turns out to be a dud. I got told to come here from Reddit, I made a post explaining in more detail the project I'm working on: https://www.reddit.com/r/engineering/comments/cmsspm/i_just_messed_up_a_hand_lay_up_with_flax_and/ Is there any small or local cf / vac shops I could visit in the North west? Or anyone with a hobbyist set up that could/would help me create a flat, plain composite sheet? I'm near Manchester. There's lot of companies in aerospace and engineering near me in Burnley, but I'm not sure any of the will just let me rock up and use their equipment! Bit of a long shot anyone on here would be able to help, but thought it was worth asking! There are very inexpensive pumps online... almost disposable, based on the part you are making. As a novice / semi-pro, I highly recommend some vacuum bagging, at a minimum, with infusion as the next step, and prepreg as the end goal for any production part. Wet layup for prototype, vacuum when necessary, and infuse if there is any size to the project. Prepreg is the dream, where you get rid of all that messy resin and just bake the part to perfection --- every time. After reading your post on Reddit, maybe compression would work for any flat part to avoid the expense. Similarly, flat parts are the easiest to infuse....
	Reply Like 3