Filling voids advice - like Bugatti


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ant...
ant...
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So I've been working on producing a carbon fibre coffee cup for many years, I want it to be perfect and its almost there.  For the past 2 years I've had the project on the back burner having spent many thousands on equipment and tests.  But last week watching the How Its Made featuring the Bugatti Veyron, I saw how their carbon nose cone always comes out with voids in tights places and that these areas were repaired to produce a flawless finish.  That made me think my process might be good enough and I can finish my cup with a few repairs.

These images show how my cup is one solid piece but the outside is always susceptible to tiny bubbles or sometimes voids, the inside is almost always perfect.  

My Process - The alloy mould is secured in a vacuum chamber while infusion resin is pumped from the mixing container into the mould from its base, this enables the cup to be one piece with all smooth sides and the vacuum chamber limits bubbles & voids.  My next test will include curling the mould in a high pressure oven maybe 100psi (pressure cooker LOL).  But I've tried loads of ways to get a 100% perfect result and id become disappointed until I saw the Bugatti repair process.
With a little help I mights just get a finished mug...

Question - Can these voids be filled?  any suggestions?  

Im guessing sand the holes back to remove any release agent, maybe with some acetone and fill with a syringe of general epoxy.  then rub it back to a perfect round finish.


http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/1325fe1e-b6ed-43f5-a978-b7bc.JPG http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/b19d8eb0-a52c-4d6e-8bfd-e10a.JPG http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/8b8a7c94-3f7d-46e3-a3e3-c511.JPGBTW this big hole is drilled to practice fitting the carbon handle.
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ant...
ant...
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Hi Matt & thanks for your input

Trust me I've done all this testing and I've been drinking out of my mug for years and its more than fine, when its full of hot coffee it feels lovely in the hand and the cup resonates when empty.   
The big risk is putting the cup in the microwave, over 45 seconds in the microwave and the cup does start to melt, smell awful and then I wouldn't trust it top drink out of. 

My objective - This is Not a business venture, from the pics you can see I've tried to produce a piece of art, a perfectly encapsulated carbon fibre mug with a polished outer surface and it would cost into the hundreds to sell, not something you would chuck in the dishwasher. I could of cut an 8cm length of CF tube and stuck it on the outside of a cup if all I wanted was to sell a mug.
Ive had lots of offers from advertising agencies wanting to back me on this project, it seems people who are into carbon fibre are dying to get hold of a piece of everyday household objects, at the moment if you want something nice out of CF its got to be car parts.  But if I went down the business rout that would mean id have to work hard on finishing it and actually produce them at some point and thats not what I want to do as a job, I just want to produce a few mugs and see what people think of them. 

Thanks for the GC50 tip, ill try that :-)

BTW - Can you buy high temp infusion resin???



ChrisR
ChrisR
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yes, check the datasheet on the resin you currently use then approach a resin manufacturer/supplier directly as it won't be something that's stocked at EC/ECF/another online place. You could try Gurit, Matrix Mouldings in Bristol, Mouldlife (Huntsman resins) or Marineware in Southampton - obviously there are many other places but it's a place to start. 
GO

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