Hi Everyone,

Hopefully a few of you have noticed that we've been publishing a number of new video tutorials recently. I've now published the first two (out of three) of a new series which shows the end-to-end process for starting from a CAD design, CNC machining the pattern from epoxy block then sealing and preparing the pattern before taking a prepreg carbon fibre mould off the pattern. In the next video (not done yet) we'll finish off by using the prepreg mould to produce a carbon fibre part.

Essentially, in this series what we're trying to demonstrate is the 'other way' to make composite parts, using technology and high tech materials to replace the more manual traditional methods. This is a topic that comes up every time during our training courses and so hopefully this is a process (and tutorial series) that people will find interesting (and maybe useful). The price of perfectly usable CNC equipment is coming down all the time and the quality and availability of 3D CAD systems (like Fusion360) is moving the baseline of what is achievable at home or in a small workshop or business. Our new products and tutorials aim to support this revolution. Also, in this current climate where people are very focused on the idea that 3D printers are the answer to everything, hopefully we can steer a few people towards the understanding that for most composites processes a CNC router is a far more suitable piece of kit to invest in.

So, this first tutorial in the series we demonstrate how to CNC machine epoxy tooling board and then seal and finish it using epoxy board sealer.


I'd be very happy to discuss any of the topics raised in the videos including how these processes and materials might be used in your projects.

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Well, I didn't mean to turn this into a discussion on machine suitability, but what is your opinion on the Stepcraft then? I can stretch the budget for a Stepcraft, and knowing that EC are using it for what I want to do with it makes it appealing as well, but I just can't really see much difference between the two from my - admittedly very inexperienced - perspective. I know the Stepcraft will have better quality components, but I'm not sold on whether they are actually necessary. The covered bearings are nice, but it's a half hour job to make something similar for the X-Carve. It's stiffer, but again I'm not opposed to just stiffening the frame of the X-Carve if I find it is loosing steps. 

Realistically, it's 2.5x the price of the X-Carve, and a lot of that will be due to it's flexibility (function wise, not stiffness wise) which I don't need. But is there a reason the Stepcraft can do 3D routing of tooling board, and the X-Carve would never be able to? To me, it looks like the X-Carve can be modified to do what I need it to, comes with a bigger bed, and still comes in at less than half the price of the Stepcraft?

To be fair, I am looking at this as a way to reduce my manual pattern making. Hand carving polyurethane foam, even with the 2D profile skeleton structure, can only be so accurate. So I'm only really looking to replicate those tolerances, I'm not trying to get into precision milling of high performance engine components.