Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

pre preg curing temps?

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Topic15061.aspx

By Toffee - 2/14/2015 12:26:59 AM

hi guys, I would like to hear at what temperatures you guys cure your pre preg parts at? I have an oven which I can get up to 70 degrees quite easily, but getting it up to 80 degrees will require some work on my home made oven > can i cure at 70 degrees? if so do i just extend the oven time to say 11hours??

ta
Lee.
By morepower - 2/17/2015 5:53:52 PM

Fasta (17/02/2015)
Umeco (which was ACG) have a low temp material than can cure from 65 deg C. It will take a long time to cure so the hotter the better and the less time your oven and pump need to run.

Typically for every 10 deg increase in temp your cure time will halve.




http://www.lavender-ce.com/wp-content/uploads/pds1154-vtm260-issue5.pdf




Dont forget that an OOA pre-preg has much less pressure acting on it when the resin begins to flow. The lower temperature gives it more time to flow and speeding up the cure cycle when the resin needs to flow the most may lead to pinholes as the resin has too little time to do its thing.. I do an overnight cure usually from about 6pm through to 10am the following day and get flawless parts. I dont need to speed up the cure as it works out prefectly for me and the heater is quite efficient at the lower temperatures once you get to 85 degrees+ the heater is almost running constantly in my oven which uses a 3kw fan heater and is large enough to do full motorcycle body kits with ease..