Spread tow

Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

Back

Spread tow

Author	Message
ajb100	ajb100 posted 13 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 346, Visits: 4.4K	Hope everyone has had a good Xmas! I've started thinking about the lay up of my next project and decided that spread tow is the way to go for the surface layer. The problem is I can only seem to find it in 1mtr widths when I really need 1.25 or 1.5. Does anyone know where I can get some that wide? If not ill have to get the EC 1mtr and join it, but want to avoid this at all cost due to the waste and strength etc. Secondly, has anyone used spread tow before? What's it like to handle? I've been looking at what some of the RC plane guys do and they suggest rolling it out and giving it a light spritz of 3m77, some even put light weight glass just to hold all the fibres together. What I'm making is by no means complex, just a very large multi directional gentle curve so don't think the glass will be needed? Thanks Alex
	Reply Like 3
FLD	FLD posted 13 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 468, Visits: 2.7K	I've got some 25mm spread tow. It is fairly fragile but if your careful its not too bad to handle. When you cut it make sure you put masking tape down the line you'll cut. It helps keep it all together.
	Reply Like 3
ajb100	ajb100 posted 13 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 346, Visits: 4.4K	Thanks for the input, how does it react when you try and remove the tape? Never had much luck getting masking tape off normal carbon without pulls let alone spread tow!
	Reply Like 3
FLD	FLD posted 13 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 468, Visits: 2.7K	I didn't on mine! It was outside the moulding area so I just trimmed it off. With normal carbon I have acetoned it from the opposite side to release the tape but with the spread tow I'd want it there to hold it together.
	Reply Like 3
ajb100	ajb100 posted 13 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 346, Visits: 4.4K	Acetone is a good idea. The issue I have with leaving it on is that I will need there to be a slight over lap in the centre and don't want to leave the yellow thread on the edge so need to trim the edges and not risk delamination in the centre I thought tape, cut and then when it's in the mould use acetone to remove the tape but that will wash the release agent off. Think a strip of glass tissue and 3m 77 right on the edge might be the way to go
	Reply Like 2
charnwooduk	charnwooduk posted 13 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 7, Visits: 149	I regularly use spread tow fabrics to make rc gliders. If you go for the textreme fabric made by Oxeon and distributed by r&g composites in Germany (they have an English language e-shop), you will get a fabric that is impregnated by a very light epoxy binding matrix, which means the fabric does not fray and is an absolute dream to handle. You can get small quantities of the 80gsm fabric from www.bowings.co.uk if you want a sample. Edited 13 Years Ago by charnwooduk
	Reply Like 3
ajb100	ajb100 posted 13 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 346, Visits: 4.4K	Perfect! I had found R&G in my searching but completely missed the bit about the binder. The prices are good aswell!
	Reply Like 3