Epoxy Resin or Polyester Resin

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Epoxy Resin or Polyester Resin

Author	Message
RRE	RRE posted 12 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 12, Visits: 33	I am being told polyester has better UV protection than epoxy.
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Matthieu Libeert	Matthieu Libeert posted 12 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 955, Visits: 3.4K	I have no idea why polyester should be better to leave unfinished? The finish will 99% be the same between epoxy and polyester... the big difference is that epoxy is supposed to be stronger... this is what your looking for I guess But, polyester is cheaper than epoxy... I wouldn't use a gelcoat and just go for the epoxy, since your looking for light parts...gelcoat will add some weight. If you want to paint your parts sand them a bit (or use peelply in your lay-up) then use a plastic primer and add a clearcoat or colorcoat. Matthieu Libeert Founder MAT2 Composites X Sports website: www.mat2composites.com
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RRE	RRE posted 12 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 12, Visits: 33	Which is the best to use? As I understand it, if I am painting the parts its ok to use epoxy, but if I plan to leave it unfinished, then its best to use polyester. Is this correct? Also, is it recommended to use a gel coat first then the resin or just go straight resin? I want my parts to be as lite as possible. I am trying to make my parts around .040 - .050 thick. I tried making my first panel just as a test run and it came out ok, but when I go to make my parts for real I want to make sure they are the best they can be. Does anyone have any suggestions or tips? I attached a pic of what I am trying to replicate. You can see what is carbon here. Bascially all the cosmetic panels and hood are what I want to make.
	Reply Like 3