"Just let us know in the comm...." Yes. Don't even need to listen what it is, just yes. There's never enough Easy Composites content! Even though this isn't aimed at me as a hobbyist, It's still enormously interesting, clear and engaging.
Thanks for your comments Alex : ) Agreed that this is more industry-level than something too many hobbyists will have need for but we're a broad church and our customers (and viewers) range from people picking up a laminating brush for the first time to repair a bit of cracked bodywork to F1 teams and superyacht builders. Thanks for your comments; we'll keep the content coming.
Cheers Michael; vote noted. Looks like a lot of interest, maybe it's one of those gems where you might not use the process in the main part of the video but the tackifier solution could be a game changer if this is something (like many people) that you've struggled to find a satisfactory answer to.
OK, vote noted : ) We'll try to get it put out as a short tip video; it is a great technique and very useful for cosmetic carbon, as well as functional/structural parts like this mould.
8:13 YES PLEASE! That would save a lot of time, I've tried doing the resin layer prior to laying but it is such a hassle. It droops into the corners and edges, and when you put down your fabric you get bridging because you can't push the fabric in deep enough.
@@easycompositestv You may add my vote as well, it seems like there is quite a bit of interest from the viewers... so I'm looking forward to the video about this trick! Thanks in advance!
Consistently the highest quality composites training material I've seen anywhere, including from registered training organisations. Practical, thorough and well explained.
Always so excited to see a new Easy Composites video! Awesome video as usual. The tips you gave are so great, especially that one about the tacking solution - brilliant!! Hated the spray stuff side effects on the first surface.
Thanks Jonathan, glad you’re enjoying the videos. Looks like there’s a lot of people interested in the tackifier so we’ll try to make that video to explain it in a bit more detail soon.
Great video! Love to see the video on the solvent solution because to have a way to properly tack dry cloth (like prepreg) in the mold is like a holy grail for me!
Cheers Dave, glad you like what we do. Hope you enjoy the vid; this one's maybe a bit more industry focussed than some of our other offerings so might not smash the numbers but hopefully should be helpful for those producing (or wanting to produce) high temperature moulds for prepreg production.
@@easycompositestv Even if the specific process isn't applicable, there are still so many little tricks and tips to learn about working with composites from watching you guys work. Like the tackifier trick! could have used that a couple weeks ago! hahah
i was hoping for a video on how to make affordable carbon fiber... but they didn't even tried that one for April 1st... still waiting on the high temp starter kit to get back in stock for a small project i got on the go. love the content keep up the amazing work.
Sorry they've been out of stock for a while; like a lot of companies in the industry, we've had a lot of trouble with the supply of carbon fibre itself (before it's woven). Thankfully, we had three large deliveries just come in with more to follow so I hope we're over the worst of it now. High temp kits should be back online within a few days.
This was super helpful! I need to make production tooling for the first time, and you answered pretty much all the question I've been wanting to get answered!
Great to hear Freddy. If you end up using our materials then you can of course contact us for full support if you run into any problems or have any questions.
On the topic of metal tooling, high value applications often use Invar tooling as it has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) close to that of carbon fiber. As you can imagine, this is an extremely expensive solution, not just in material cost but also machining time, as it is rather difficult to machine. I'm sure the good folks at Easy Composites already know this, but I thought I'd share for the interest of other viewers!
Doubt it, they are selling the utterly GARBAGE epoxy EL160 as shown in this video... 20MPa tensile... maybe they are actually selling the composites and vac bagging materials as their primary business and they DO know their shit, but WHY would they then sell that garbage epoxy for the price they are asking when for same price can get 4X material strength of epoxy with same working properties etc etc etc. @20Mpa epoxy, why bother with CF? Utter waste. Use S-glass or Basalt fiber or polyester.
@w8stral I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, and, without meaning to be rude, it looks like you don't either. I think based on your comments it might not be worth me explaining but there are very many reasons why EL160 is highly advantageous for producing this type of mould. If you think you should make this mould from S-glass and polyester resin then you clearly don't understand the content or purpose of this video at all. Maybe watch it again and see if you can grasp the important concepts around CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) and other nuances of making high temperature tooling for applications like prepreg production. If you're still struggling, watch some of our other videos like our introduction to prepregs, or our several other videos on high temp tooling.
@@easycompositestv 1%-2% elongation... for a mold... good luck not chipping/shattering it. And no one said anything about polyester resin. For what you are doing, may as well use S glass instead of prepreg CF. Has close enough CTE to make no difference unless absolute MONSTER parts in which case, what you are doing won't work either. The only good point about EL160 is its fairly cheap, low viscosity, and partially medium temp. Not sure why you bring up partial cure... Pretty much true of ALL epoxies. Whatever enjoy.
@@w8stralObviously you have no idea what materials you are calling out and the appropriate resin for that material. The materials u recommended "must" use polyester resin and you should be aware of that. The materials chosen here were used to match the thermal expansion characteristics of the part being made AND be able to tolerate a high temperature cure. Maybe instead of acting like u have any knowledge in this subject and bad mouthing a company with engineers that have forgotten more than u know educating yourself would help. I searched the Internet and your channel and saw absolutely nothing to indicate your claimed knowledge. Maybe some unobtainium would work huh.
Oh this is ripe... some internet yahoo telling me I am ignorant saying glass fiber can't take heat, and must use garbage polyester resin or has a high CTE... It literally has near zero CTE barely greater than CF and can take MORE heat than CF and works great with ANY resin system... Did your mother drop you on your head as a child? Or were you just never spanked and told NO, you are not a dictator? @@matthewmoilanen787
So, as another option on vacuum lines that does not require a specialized tubing, when I did composites as a day job we just used 1/4 inch hose with a bit of rope stuck in the end to keep it from collapsing, then we'd cut and remove the flow mesh from sections of the multi-layer stuff to create "stop gaps" to control resin flow and ensure the vacuum lines were the last place to wet out. We'd also use stop gaps at particularly thick sections of the layup to give the resin more time to penetrate all the way through. Especially on large parts, strategic use of your flow media and vacuum lines is key to a successful infusion.
Hi Paul! Thanks for sharing this technique! Really good stuff! I'd like to watch a video about the tacking solution. Also I'd like to HIGHLY RECOMMEND the vacuum bag video for anyone who's going to try that method. It would save you guys a lot of time (and money for that matter)😊 See you next time, Paul!
Glad you liked the video and I’ll note your vote for the tackifier. And thanks for the plug for the bagging video, that one was not a big hitter views-wise but one of the videos we think could be really helpful for anyone actually doing composites work, rather than just enjoying learning about it.
It wouldn't really be advisable to try to make a mould of this size or dimensional criticality using a hand layup process. To avoid a pin-holed surface a hand layup mould would require a gelcoat, and a gelcoat surface on a large flat mould like this would almost certainly cause some distortion. For smaller or less dimensionally critical moulds, hand layup of a high temperature mould can be considered, but for a mould like this it wouldn't really be recommended.
Very informative video tutorial. I have been always getting pleasure from all your videos for 10 years now. Despite useful tips and tricks, the use of Carbon fiber for moulds fabrication looks, a little bit non cost efficient. Carbon fiber is times much more expensive than regular fiber glass. What if simply use a black fiber but the output will be the same, won't it?😂😂😂😂. Anyway I do appreciate for your tutorials. I have watched no videos, though I watch a lot, so immaculately and meticulously presented like yours. Your new tutorials are awaited. Please show more videos on Infusion lamination of complicated parts like non standard pipings, vessels,elements, say of automotive interior spectrum!😅😅😅😅
Making moulds from carbon fibre may look extravagant but actually it is the most common material to make high temperature moulds from in industry. The reason is because it has the same low CTE that the carbon fibre components they are used to make are made from. Very few other materials have this low CTE. Glad you’re enjoying the content.
@@easycompositestv Correct me if I am wrong. But carbon infused moulds are produced for bespoke parts with designed technical properties demanding heat treatment such as F1 monocoques, aren't they? Please give examples of the parts demanding carbon moulds. I guess Christian fon Koenegsegg does apply such an approach!
Amazing video! Could you guys do a video on the RTM process? It seems like it could deliver better results than infusion, would love to see a tutorial/overview on it.
Hi Dave, we definately plan on doing some videos about RTM. As an overall comment, RTM is great for higher volume production because it can be quite a bit faster and reduce your consumable costs, it can also produce 'double sided' parts with a cosmetic finish on both sides. The downside to RTM are that you have no 'external' flow media so you need a lower reinforcement fraction in order to be able to drive the resin through, you also need more complex and expensive tooling. Also, for out-and-out performance, resin infusion will almost always yield higher performance parts due to the higher fibre fraction, made possible by the external flow media.
For a high temperature mould, it’s almost impossible to just use a hand laminating method without running into problems of internal voiding being exposed when the mould is taken to temperature. There are some techniques that can help to avoid these issues (which we plan to cover in a future video about hand laminating high temperature moulds) but they’re not foolproof and so, as a rule, it’s much better to make high temp moulds using some sort of vacuum process. You’ll also get a much higher fibre-fraction, which will keep the CTE low, in line with the components the mould will be used to make.
It seems there is another way to interpret this question. If it is about the selection of resin (as opposed to the method of construction) well, the resin choice is dictated by the need for high temperature strength. The EL 160 resin maintains strength at high temperatures. So this mold can be used to make parts which will be post cured at high temperatures. The hand laminating resin will soften too much at high temperatures, so it can't be used for high temperature molds. I apologize if I misinterpreted the question.
@@easycompositestv Thanks a lot for the reply! One last question, can we add a one gelcoat layer and when it is tacky, do the laminate using infusion and vacuum bagging?
@@mckenziekeith7434 Thanks a lot for the reply! One last question, can we add a one gelcoat layer and when it is tacky, do the laminate using infusion and vacuum bagging?
PRO TIP - Bosch / Fein with starlock (doesnt matter if you use cheaper green line like advancedmulti 18V or universalmulti 12V) with "Bosch ACZ 70 RT3" ,,,,,, "ACZ 85 RT3" ,,,, (70 and 85 its size of the blade in MM ) works avesome in composite materials for cutting them without creating dust partictles flying around ...standard vacuum hose in 1 hand / taped to the tool and you can go without extra protection (except of course face mask) there are also ACZ 70 RT5 and ACZ 85 RT3 +++ diamont blades RD4 ....works avesome for parts up to 3mm , ultra precision , dust falls down from the part not fly everywhere like when you use stright/ angle grinders etc its literally permagrit from Bosch for multitools :D :D :D PS works best only on Starlock tools , "traditional" multitools with "pins" works way worse than starlock in my opinion for cutting composite materials (hard to explain but to make it simple ....they cut faster , more precise and feels ..... smoother like with way less slack and vibrations ...top Fein tools make it even better but even Universalmulti 12V that cost less than other brands battery alone works crazy good for the price and have way more power than you need) PS. --- 2 you can get way more shapes of blades from straight to rods etc , bosch limited some to more powerfull AC starlock tools but you can drill the hole out and will work just fine .... but dont use them at max speed or motor will overheat
Super helpful! This video covers a few things i have been uncertain about for a while. Many thanks! One more thing: The oven you are using looks like a one-off build? Any chance you could make a video on how to build your own oven? I know you have the OV301 for sale, but i would sometimes need more volume!
Hi Steph, we hear you loud and clear. We’ve had a lot of feedback and enquiries from potential customers interested in other oven sizes or building their own. We’ve got plans to support with both of these options but I’m not sure when they will be available. As soon as they are, we’ll announce them through the usual channels.
Still blows my mind! I’d love to make a multipart, forged carbon fibre mould of a high rise single four barrel inlet manifold. A good 3d scanner soon hopefully 😂😎🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼🍀
If you allow the resin to fully cure, it is possible that the infusion may have surface defects where the resin is unable to flow properly on the surface.
could be very awesome to know how do a tacky solution, i use spray stuff but like you know it have limits !! always amaze how your video still awesome thru years !
Its not exactly a helicopter but we do make the body for a Quadcopter UAV in our Mould from 3D print tutorial. th-cam.com/video/KpJdwryFj6k/w-d-xo.html
Great video, exactly what I was looking for. What 3D design software do you use for your product and pattern design? I would love to see a video on the design side of things too.
Curious about the larger cure oven used in this video... is this an upcoming product or something sourced? I ask because it looks big enough for a project ive been thinking about.
I would imagine carbon fiber components useful on DJI drone models. I would really like to see a collaboration between Easy Composites and DJI, perhaps on the newly released Inspire 3
We have touched on this already actually, in a couple of videos. Check out our video making the foam/MDF pattern for the sledge mould, or our video about hand making patterns (the airbox) 👍.
I use MDF quite a lot as all my molds are for infusion at room temp . This is mainly due to large size low volume for race car parts . I have found it’s best to use several coats of wood type sanding sealer which cures through evaporation. This enables it to soak into the MDF and seal the surface. Inevitably with MDF as it is so porous the first few coats will have a fluff / dust surface finish that needs knocking back with DRY sanding. This process will need doing several times and is quite laborious and tedious . A lot of my patterns are made by hand and car body filler is used, this then incurs other issues as when flatting off you can break through the sealed MDF surface which leads to the fluffing effect . After my molds are sealed I generally use automotive 2k primer and a gloss solid colour. Sometimes I just use 2k primer. Another tip is to make your pattern / mold a totally different colour to your product as it’s easier to see gelcoat coverage/ imperfections. Furniture shalac is also a good way of sealing patterns . On other material I use is rigid industrial plastic sheet that’s uses for plastic fabrication . 3-6 mm polycarbonate is nice and stable, can be glued filled and laminated . Also try PVC sheet and ABS and PETG . All have their own uses and some can be heated and bent or folded in a press brake or I route half way through with a 45 deg cutter / circular saw / slitting disc and grinder and fold by hand . This method / materials work very well for large flat areas such as front splitters . Also in the past when I’ve needed a long radius down a component I use plastic pipe as part of my pattern bonded with either filler or polyurethane. There are a couple of other plastic that I used Polypropylene and polyethylene, nothing sticks to these and can be very useful in patterns and making components/ sections for patterns . Hope this helps 👍
@@3dkiwi920 your welcome, all my stuffs low volume or one offs . One of the best bits of advice I can give you when making patterns is be as accurate as possible, ie use datum’s and centre lines wherever possible, flat surface and a square. Once you get into the habit it will pay off enormously without you even realising , especially when it come to making left/ right handed comments . Plastic sheet can be used for ‘ flagging’ a pattern , I’ve used it to make a rear diffuser profile too and works a treat . Any questions just message me and I’ll try and help 🇬🇧👍
Love the video but what are the advantages to this vs. your regular carbon fiber product? Previously your conventional carbon fiber had a heat rating of 400F. What are the advantages to this over your regular product when your "high temperature product has a heat limit that's 80F lower than your conventional process was preciously reported?
Sorry, I'm not quite sure I'm understanding your question right. In this video, we're mainly talking about the service temperature of the epoxy resin that we use for the infusion. The EL160 has an unusually high service temperature of 160C (320F). Carbon fibre itself, the reinforcement, has a *very* high service temperature, but this potential is almost always limited by the resin matrix. A typical laminating resin (or infusion resin for that matter) will usually have a maximum service temperature of around 60-80C (140-176F) which would mean that the resulting mould couldn't really be used for curing prepreg parts in an oven or autoclave (typically at 120C/248F). Does that explain it better?
@@easycompositestv It does sort of clear it up. I was mainly trying to understand how a product labeled "high temperature" seemed to have a lower heat tolerance (320F) than your standard non high temperature product (400F). Thanks for the response.
A tackifier video would be perfect to release now 😂 I also heard some people are using just the resin part of epoxy mixed with acetone to make a tackifier, I haven’t tested it yet, but I have thought of it.
Without a hardener, you are relying on there being enough hardener blending with it during the resin infusion to cure fully. But it is a risk as epoxies need the right proportion of hardener to epoxy to cure fully so you may end up with tacky patches or similar if not careful.
The resin/acetone solution can be used at any stage of the laminate. It's usually easier however to use a spray tack like fusion fix on these subsequent layers where there is less chance of it affecting the surface of the tool or part.
If you use the right resin system yes. The IN2 can be post cured to achieve about 90C temp resistance. For higher you would want a higher temperature resin such as our EL160 High temp epoxy.
Great question, and one that we actually had ourselves! You'll notice that when we apply the 'tackifier' it's done so with a gentle wiping action. This technique seems to fine on the well prepared surface and we didn't notice any problems with releasing. If you were to be more aggressive with the application and scrub at the surface then indeed this may start to impact the release agent surface.
@@easycompositestv interesting to know. I've years of working in composites and this channel is always teaching me something new. I'll give that a try! Thanks
Can this ML3 be used with "normal" vacuum bagging too? I always have extremely hard time removing your peel ply so if it's much easier as you said it would be perfect :o
@@easycompositestv ok thanks :) I guess I'm probably using too much resin so too much soaks through peel ply to breather and in the end it bonds too much and is hard to remove it so will have to work on that!
Hi, would it be possible to do a video on how to make a simple box. I'm a custom knife maker and would love to make boxes to house pen knives. Cheers and keep up the awesome videos
Watch our video on making a battery box here: th-cam.com/video/4ND2WtEZatY/w-d-xo.html You could print the mould or make it using traditional mould making materials.
Hello, what oven are you using in this video? (I mean the oven, not the autoclave linked in the description) The oven seems larger than the oven listed on your website. Kind regards
Hi Vincent, the oven linked in the description is still an curing oven not an autoclave. Due to the size of this particular mould we did have to use a different oven with larger dimensions. This isn't something we have available for sale I'm afraid.
Hi Josh, we work with quite a few UAV companies on a range of projects. The wing section in the video is an internal project to develop higher performance wing structures which we may share the information on one day. Expect several videos in the future featuring some of our UAV work; it's an exciting area and we're right at the forefront of it.
Offcuts of carbon fibre fabric could be chopped up to make forged carbon fibre parts or could be reused as the reinforcement on the next mould (it doesn’t really need to be continuous fabric for moulds).
If you made epoxy the tackifier as an actual product in some kind of spritzer bottle I'd buy it immediately. It would make it so much easier to do complex infusions
Hi Andrea, if only that was possible we'd be right on it ourselves. Although this method of making an epoxy tackifier is - to our knowledge - the only genuinely 'perfect' way of tacking to a mould surface (i.e. the only way that fully integrates, 100%, with the matrix) it only has a short 'shelf life' of a few weeks to maybe a month at the outside so it works great as a make-it-up-yourself system but not as a product that we can manufacture and sell unfortunately.
Cheers IngBall, vote for the tackifier noted! And yes, given that we have two huge warehouses chock-full of the best composite materials around, we don’t struggle for the right materials!
A pigment may help but it depends on the process. With infusion it is hard to get an even pigment distribution but you could make a tooling gel that pigments the surface.
Something like a wheel is an incredibly critical component and would require extensive testing before being put into service. The repercussions of something like this failing at speed would be disastrous, at this point it's not necessarily a tutorial which we have on the list but may be something we reconsider in the future.
Did you see Tech Ingredients, managed to make usable quantities of graphene? Grind it up and stick it in the resin, boom orders of magnitude stronger with .02% by mass. Saving up my pennies for a power supply so I can batch the process.
I kinda had the same thought but I would definitely want to do a series of very stringent testing before deploying this idea. My main concern was the fabric acting like a filter and stopping the graphene from passing through. I can imagine this would be especially do with the inclusion of non woven felts.
Mainly due to the cost of aluminium billet. In particular, if your mould is quite a 3D shape, you could find yourself machining away most of the expensive billet that you've paid for. In the case of a composite mould, the price per cm3 might be slightly higher than aluminium (although not massively) but you only pay for the material that makes the finished mould, not everything you machine away. Not to mention that a mould like this might have spent 2 days being machined; unless you own a mill, this is going to be more expensive than the few hours spent setting up an infusion.
Honestly, for a production composite mould, it’s definitely on the light side! Pick up a typical F1 mould, they’re around 8mm (16 plies). Also, the shape makes a difference; flatter moulds have less inherent stiffness so need more reinforcement. This mould could easily have used considerably more!
@@easycompositestv since the mold is used at high temp, even with EL160, does it soften up a little in service? Could that be another reason why thicker molds are favored?
"Just let us know in the comm...." Yes. Don't even need to listen what it is, just yes. There's never enough Easy Composites content! Even though this isn't aimed at me as a hobbyist, It's still enormously interesting, clear and engaging.
Thanks for your comments Alex : ) Agreed that this is more industry-level than something too many hobbyists will have need for but we're a broad church and our customers (and viewers) range from people picking up a laminating brush for the first time to repair a bit of cracked bodywork to F1 teams and superyacht builders. Thanks for your comments; we'll keep the content coming.
here's my vote for a video on the resin tackifier
Cheers Michael; vote noted. Looks like a lot of interest, maybe it's one of those gems where you might not use the process in the main part of the video but the tackifier solution could be a game changer if this is something (like many people) that you've struggled to find a satisfactory answer to.
@@easycompositestvyea please! I need that tackifier real bad!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Make the video
Would love to see the video on the solvent solution! I always enjoy the tips of the trade you show us in videos. Thank you!!
OK, vote noted : ) We'll try to get it put out as a short tip video; it is a great technique and very useful for cosmetic carbon, as well as functional/structural parts like this mould.
@@easycompositestv I second this vote!
@@easycompositestv third one: how the acetone doesn't affect on the release agent?!
@@easycompositestv that sounds like a super useful video
Signed
I will probably never lay any carbon but I will watch a video if you make one about the solvent. It is very interesting.
OK, I get that, sometimes it's just nice to learn about processes or techniques, even if you're unlikely to use them practically. Vote noted.
8:13 YES PLEASE!
That would save a lot of time, I've tried doing the resin layer prior to laying but it is such a hassle.
It droops into the corners and edges, and when you put down your fabric you get bridging because you can't push the fabric in deep enough.
Yes, indeed. It sounds like you'll get a lot of benefit from the tackifier trick. I'll note your vote!
@@easycompositestv You may add my vote as well, it seems like there is quite a bit of interest from the viewers... so I'm looking forward to the video about this trick! Thanks in advance!
Consistently the highest quality composites training material I've seen anywhere, including from registered training organisations. Practical, thorough and well explained.
Always so excited to see a new Easy Composites video! Awesome video as usual. The tips you gave are so great, especially that one about the tacking solution - brilliant!! Hated the spray stuff side effects on the first surface.
Thanks Jonathan, glad you’re enjoying the videos. Looks like there’s a lot of people interested in the tackifier so we’ll try to make that video to explain it in a bit more detail soon.
Always extremely high quality videos from this channel
Cheers MrCarlozan; appreciate your appreciation!
Great video! Love to see the video on the solvent solution because to have a way to properly tack dry cloth (like prepreg) in the mold is like a holy grail for me!
Thanks for the vote Jeroen; certainly looks like there's plenty of interest in the tackifier : )
Absolutely smashing these videos as always. The tacky solution solution is very interesting
I also think the tacky solution is interesting. Here's hoping they do a video on it.
Cheers, glad you're enjoying the content. Vote noted!
@ddegn; thanks for your feedback also - vote for the tackifier noted.
Paul! Great to see you again! I've thought of so many ideas to work with carbon fiber that I can't get anything started! Always a great presentation!
Keep dreaming the dream, you’ll get going on something eventually, and when you do, you’ll know more about the subject than most 😀.
You know it's gonna be a good weekend when it's Friday and Easy Composites drops another bomb tutorial!
Cheers Dave, glad you like what we do. Hope you enjoy the vid; this one's maybe a bit more industry focussed than some of our other offerings so might not smash the numbers but hopefully should be helpful for those producing (or wanting to produce) high temperature moulds for prepreg production.
@@easycompositestv Even if the specific process isn't applicable, there are still so many little tricks and tips to learn about working with composites from watching you guys work. Like the tackifier trick! could have used that a couple weeks ago! hahah
Always such a treat to get a new Easy Composites video!
Thank you, appreciate your support :)
i was hoping for a video on how to make affordable carbon fiber... but they didn't even tried that one for April 1st... still waiting on the high temp starter kit to get back in stock for a small project i got on the go. love the content keep up the amazing work.
Sorry they've been out of stock for a while; like a lot of companies in the industry, we've had a lot of trouble with the supply of carbon fibre itself (before it's woven). Thankfully, we had three large deliveries just come in with more to follow so I hope we're over the worst of it now. High temp kits should be back online within a few days.
Подскажите. С зелёной нитью нет ли у Вас в наличии?
@@_zsn4941 ты на их сайт зайти не можешь или чо?
Wild how you have gone straight to the stratosphere of composites.
Great video!!!!.
Cheers Steve, always one of the first comments : )
This was super helpful! I need to make production tooling for the first time, and you answered pretty much all the question I've been wanting to get answered!
Great to hear Freddy. If you end up using our materials then you can of course contact us for full support if you run into any problems or have any questions.
On the topic of metal tooling, high value applications often use Invar tooling as it has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) close to that of carbon fiber. As you can imagine, this is an extremely expensive solution, not just in material cost but also machining time, as it is rather difficult to machine. I'm sure the good folks at Easy Composites already know this, but I thought I'd share for the interest of other viewers!
Doubt it, they are selling the utterly GARBAGE epoxy EL160 as shown in this video... 20MPa tensile... maybe they are actually selling the composites and vac bagging materials as their primary business and they DO know their shit, but WHY would they then sell that garbage epoxy for the price they are asking when for same price can get 4X material strength of epoxy with same working properties etc etc etc. @20Mpa epoxy, why bother with CF? Utter waste. Use S-glass or Basalt fiber or polyester.
@w8stral I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, and, without meaning to be rude, it looks like you don't either. I think based on your comments it might not be worth me explaining but there are very many reasons why EL160 is highly advantageous for producing this type of mould. If you think you should make this mould from S-glass and polyester resin then you clearly don't understand the content or purpose of this video at all. Maybe watch it again and see if you can grasp the important concepts around CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) and other nuances of making high temperature tooling for applications like prepreg production. If you're still struggling, watch some of our other videos like our introduction to prepregs, or our several other videos on high temp tooling.
@@easycompositestv 1%-2% elongation... for a mold... good luck not chipping/shattering it. And no one said anything about polyester resin. For what you are doing, may as well use S glass instead of prepreg CF. Has close enough CTE to make no difference unless absolute MONSTER parts in which case, what you are doing won't work either.
The only good point about EL160 is its fairly cheap, low viscosity, and partially medium temp. Not sure why you bring up partial cure... Pretty much true of ALL epoxies.
Whatever enjoy.
@@w8stralObviously you have no idea what materials you are calling out and the appropriate resin for that material. The materials u recommended "must" use polyester resin and you should be aware of that. The materials chosen here were used to match the thermal expansion characteristics of the part being made AND be able to tolerate a high temperature cure. Maybe instead of acting like u have any knowledge in this subject and bad mouthing a company with engineers that have forgotten more than u know educating yourself would help. I searched the Internet and your channel and saw absolutely nothing to indicate your claimed knowledge. Maybe some unobtainium would work huh.
Oh this is ripe... some internet yahoo telling me I am ignorant saying glass fiber can't take heat, and must use garbage polyester resin or has a high CTE... It literally has near zero CTE barely greater than CF and can take MORE heat than CF and works great with ANY resin system... Did your mother drop you on your head as a child? Or were you just never spanked and told NO, you are not a dictator? @@matthewmoilanen787
Excellent tutorial as always! Thanks for making the information and supplies accessible to everyone!
So, as another option on vacuum lines that does not require a specialized tubing, when I did composites as a day job we just used 1/4 inch hose with a bit of rope stuck in the end to keep it from collapsing, then we'd cut and remove the flow mesh from sections of the multi-layer stuff to create "stop gaps" to control resin flow and ensure the vacuum lines were the last place to wet out. We'd also use stop gaps at particularly thick sections of the layup to give the resin more time to penetrate all the way through. Especially on large parts, strategic use of your flow media and vacuum lines is key to a successful infusion.
Hi Paul!
Thanks for sharing this technique! Really good stuff!
I'd like to watch a video about the tacking solution.
Also I'd like to HIGHLY RECOMMEND the vacuum bag video for anyone who's going to try that method. It would save you guys a lot of time (and money for that matter)😊
See you next time, Paul!
Glad you liked the video and I’ll note your vote for the tackifier. And thanks for the plug for the bagging video, that one was not a big hitter views-wise but one of the videos we think could be really helpful for anyone actually doing composites work, rather than just enjoying learning about it.
these videos always fly by for me, so interesting and satisfying
Thanks Rocko, glad you’re enjoying them.
Great video. Please keep them coming.
Thanks Aviator, we'll do our best... lots more in the pipeline already :)
@@easycompositestv such an invaluable resource. Thank you.
Great videos as always! Thanks!! 🙏🏻
Please a video for the tackifier!! It will be life saving
It's very nice to have such informative info in there, please make also the video about how stopping the curing with acetone
I'll second the video on solvent and epoxy for tackifying! Thanks for another great video.
You're welcome; thanks for watching and commenting. Vote noted : )
Would love to see the video on the solvent solution, seems very interesting. Love the quality of the videos
I’m interested in all the tips you want to share….great presentation once more
Thanks a lot, we’ll try to keep them coming.
Hi! I love your videos. Please do the promised video about making the Racing Rear Wing from a negative mould but with a core :)
I would love to see the hand lay up method as well and perhaps a comparison of the two molds afterword demonstrating the pros and cons stated
It wouldn't really be advisable to try to make a mould of this size or dimensional criticality using a hand layup process. To avoid a pin-holed surface a hand layup mould would require a gelcoat, and a gelcoat surface on a large flat mould like this would almost certainly cause some distortion. For smaller or less dimensionally critical moulds, hand layup of a high temperature mould can be considered, but for a mould like this it wouldn't really be recommended.
They’re back!
Very informative video tutorial. I have been always getting pleasure from all your videos for 10 years now.
Despite useful tips and tricks, the use of Carbon fiber for moulds fabrication looks, a little bit non cost efficient. Carbon fiber is times much more expensive than regular fiber glass. What if simply use a black fiber but the output will be the same, won't it?😂😂😂😂.
Anyway I do appreciate for your tutorials. I have watched no videos, though I watch a lot, so immaculately and meticulously presented like yours.
Your new tutorials are awaited. Please show more videos on Infusion lamination of complicated parts like non standard pipings, vessels,elements, say of automotive interior spectrum!😅😅😅😅
Making moulds from carbon fibre may look extravagant but actually it is the most common material to make high temperature moulds from in industry. The reason is because it has the same low CTE that the carbon fibre components they are used to make are made from. Very few other materials have this low CTE. Glad you’re enjoying the content.
@@easycompositestv Correct me if I am wrong. But carbon infused moulds are produced for bespoke parts with designed technical properties demanding heat treatment such as F1 monocoques, aren't they? Please give examples of the parts demanding carbon moulds. I guess Christian fon Koenegsegg does apply such an approach!
Amazing video! Could you guys do a video on the RTM process? It seems like it could deliver better results than infusion, would love to see a tutorial/overview on it.
Hi Dave, we definately plan on doing some videos about RTM. As an overall comment, RTM is great for higher volume production because it can be quite a bit faster and reduce your consumable costs, it can also produce 'double sided' parts with a cosmetic finish on both sides. The downside to RTM are that you have no 'external' flow media so you need a lower reinforcement fraction in order to be able to drive the resin through, you also need more complex and expensive tooling. Also, for out-and-out performance, resin infusion will almost always yield higher performance parts due to the higher fibre fraction, made possible by the external flow media.
Great video! What is the advantage of using EL160 infusion vs hand laminating for the same mold?
For a high temperature mould, it’s almost impossible to just use a hand laminating method without running into problems of internal voiding being exposed when the mould is taken to temperature. There are some techniques that can help to avoid these issues (which we plan to cover in a future video about hand laminating high temperature moulds) but they’re not foolproof and so, as a rule, it’s much better to make high temp moulds using some sort of vacuum process. You’ll also get a much higher fibre-fraction, which will keep the CTE low, in line with the components the mould will be used to make.
It seems there is another way to interpret this question. If it is about the selection of resin (as opposed to the method of construction) well, the resin choice is dictated by the need for high temperature strength. The EL 160 resin maintains strength at high temperatures. So this mold can be used to make parts which will be post cured at high temperatures. The hand laminating resin will soften too much at high temperatures, so it can't be used for high temperature molds. I apologize if I misinterpreted the question.
@@easycompositestv Thanks a lot for the reply! One last question, can we add a one gelcoat layer and when it is tacky, do the laminate using infusion and vacuum bagging?
@@mckenziekeith7434 Thanks a lot for the reply! One last question, can we add a one gelcoat layer and when it is tacky, do the laminate using infusion and vacuum bagging?
Super la technique de l'acétone dans la résine...merci
Je t'en prie; Merci d'avoir regardé. Je note votre vote et j'espère que nous ferons bientôt cette vidéo sur l'acétone/résine.
PRO TIP - Bosch / Fein with starlock (doesnt matter if you use cheaper green line like advancedmulti 18V or universalmulti 12V) with "Bosch ACZ 70 RT3" ,,,,,, "ACZ 85 RT3" ,,,, (70 and 85 its size of the blade in MM ) works avesome in composite materials for cutting them without creating dust partictles flying around ...standard vacuum hose in 1 hand / taped to the tool and you can go without extra protection (except of course face mask)
there are also ACZ 70 RT5 and ACZ 85 RT3 +++ diamont blades RD4 ....works avesome for parts up to 3mm , ultra precision , dust falls down from the part not fly everywhere like when you use stright/ angle grinders etc
its literally permagrit from Bosch for multitools :D :D :D
PS
works best only on Starlock tools , "traditional" multitools with "pins" works way worse than starlock in my opinion for cutting composite materials (hard to explain but to make it simple ....they cut faster , more precise and feels ..... smoother like with way less slack and vibrations ...top Fein tools make it even better but even Universalmulti 12V that cost less than other brands battery alone works crazy good for the price and have way more power than you need)
PS. --- 2
you can get way more shapes of blades from straight to rods etc , bosch limited some to more powerfull AC starlock tools but you can drill the hole out and will work just fine .... but dont use them at max speed or motor will overheat
could you make a video on laminate principles and considirations for example symmetry/asymetry, epoxy ratio for different applications etc
Super helpful! This video covers a few things i have been uncertain about for a while. Many thanks! One more thing: The oven you are using looks like a one-off build? Any chance you could make a video on how to build your own oven? I know you have the OV301 for sale, but i would sometimes need more volume!
Hi Steph, we hear you loud and clear. We’ve had a lot of feedback and enquiries from potential customers interested in other oven sizes or building their own. We’ve got plans to support with both of these options but I’m not sure when they will be available. As soon as they are, we’ll announce them through the usual channels.
It would be cool to have a behind the scenes video at Easy Composites Ltd.
Hi Kirt, maybe we'll do some videos where we feature some of the wider aspects of our business but it's probably not as glamorous as you might think!
good videos as always about composite materials handling.
Thank you, appreciate the comment.
Still blows my mind!
I’d love to make a multipart, forged carbon fibre mould of a high rise single four barrel inlet manifold.
A good 3d scanner soon hopefully 😂😎🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼🍀
Very interesting trick with resin and acetone, but what if I spill the part after a day or more? Will pre-impregnated areas spill or not?
If you allow the resin to fully cure, it is possible that the infusion may have surface defects where the resin is unable to flow properly on the surface.
Does the resin mentioned in the movie work for making carbon fiber covers for the exhaust system?
For use up to 160C yes it will be fine.
brilliant video, thank you.. I like the tacky glue idea. definitely worth a video?
OK, vote noted :) Looks like there's lots of interest in a quick tips video on the tackifier.
could be very awesome to know how do a tacky solution, i use spray stuff but like you know it have limits !! always amaze how your video still awesome thru years !
Wow..nice..must be good for like me that catching progress for lots of customers order
Instant watch
Cheers Jonathon; hope it didn't let you down!
Yes video on solvent tackifier! 🙂
Hi - can you do a carbon fibre canopy for an RC Helicopter? or fiberglass please?
Its not exactly a helicopter but we do make the body for a Quadcopter UAV in our Mould from 3D print tutorial. th-cam.com/video/KpJdwryFj6k/w-d-xo.html
Great video, exactly what I was looking for. What 3D design software do you use for your product and pattern design? I would love to see a video on the design side of things too.
Fusion 360 for most of our projects.
I'm still waiting for that video that you said you were going to make on how to deal with pinholes
Curious about the larger cure oven used in this video... is this an upcoming product or something sourced? I ask because it looks big enough for a project ive been thinking about.
It was custom made especially for curing larger moulds and parts. Its not a planned product as such.
I would imagine carbon fiber components useful on DJI drone models. I would really like to see a collaboration between Easy Composites and DJI, perhaps on the newly released Inspire 3
Would love to see a video explaining how to seal MDF pulgs/molds, either hand made or cnc!
We have touched on this already actually, in a couple of videos. Check out our video making the foam/MDF pattern for the sledge mould, or our video about hand making patterns (the airbox) 👍.
@@easycompositestv Thanks a ton! Appreciate your work!
I use MDF quite a lot as all my molds are for infusion at room temp . This is mainly due to large size low volume for race car parts . I have found it’s best to use several coats of wood type sanding sealer which cures through evaporation. This enables it to soak into the MDF and seal the surface. Inevitably with MDF as it is so porous the first few coats will have a fluff / dust surface finish that needs knocking back with DRY sanding. This process will need doing several times and is quite laborious and tedious . A lot of my patterns are made by hand and car body filler is used, this then incurs other issues as when flatting off you can break through the sealed MDF surface which leads to the fluffing effect . After my molds are sealed I generally use automotive 2k primer and a gloss solid colour. Sometimes I just use 2k primer.
Another tip is to make your pattern / mold a totally different colour to your product as it’s easier to see gelcoat coverage/ imperfections.
Furniture shalac is also a good way of sealing patterns .
On other material I use is rigid industrial plastic sheet that’s uses for plastic fabrication . 3-6 mm polycarbonate is nice and stable, can be glued filled and laminated . Also try PVC sheet and ABS and PETG . All have their own uses and some can be heated and bent or folded in a press brake or I route half way through with a 45 deg cutter / circular saw / slitting disc and grinder and fold by hand . This method / materials work very well for large flat areas such as front splitters . Also in the past when I’ve needed a long radius down a component I use plastic pipe as part of my pattern bonded with either filler or polyurethane.
There are a couple of other plastic that I used Polypropylene and polyethylene, nothing sticks to these and can be very useful in patterns and making components/ sections for patterns .
Hope this helps 👍
@@newagetemplar6100 Absolute legend!
@@3dkiwi920 your welcome, all my stuffs low volume or one offs . One of the best bits of advice I can give you when making patterns is be as accurate as possible, ie use datum’s and centre lines wherever possible, flat surface and a square. Once you get into the habit it will pay off enormously without you even realising , especially when it come to making left/ right handed comments .
Plastic sheet can be used for ‘ flagging’ a pattern , I’ve used it to make a rear diffuser profile too and works a treat .
Any questions just message me and I’ll try and help 🇬🇧👍
Are there UHMWPE resins used for CFRP's ?
Love the video but what are the advantages to this vs. your regular carbon fiber product? Previously your conventional carbon fiber had a heat rating of 400F. What are the advantages to this over your regular product when your "high temperature product has a heat limit that's 80F lower than your conventional process was preciously reported?
Sorry, I'm not quite sure I'm understanding your question right. In this video, we're mainly talking about the service temperature of the epoxy resin that we use for the infusion. The EL160 has an unusually high service temperature of 160C (320F). Carbon fibre itself, the reinforcement, has a *very* high service temperature, but this potential is almost always limited by the resin matrix. A typical laminating resin (or infusion resin for that matter) will usually have a maximum service temperature of around 60-80C (140-176F) which would mean that the resulting mould couldn't really be used for curing prepreg parts in an oven or autoclave (typically at 120C/248F). Does that explain it better?
@@easycompositestv It does sort of clear it up. I was mainly trying to understand how a product labeled "high temperature" seemed to have a lower heat tolerance (320F) than your standard non high temperature product (400F). Thanks for the response.
A tackifier video would be perfect to release now 😂
I also heard some people are using just the resin part of epoxy mixed with acetone to make a tackifier, I haven’t tested it yet, but I have thought of it.
Without a hardener, you are relying on there being enough hardener blending with it during the resin infusion to cure fully. But it is a risk as epoxies need the right proportion of hardener to epoxy to cure fully so you may end up with tacky patches or similar if not careful.
@@easycompositestv yes I know, I have not tried this myself but has read about this technique.
Can the tacky solution be applied between two carbon fiber layers? or Is it applicable only between Mold & Carbon fiber layer?
The resin/acetone solution can be used at any stage of the laminate. It's usually easier however to use a spray tack like fusion fix on these subsequent layers where there is less chance of it affecting the surface of the tool or part.
How long and temp do you put the resin in the oven for? My resin manufacturer says i need 24hours at rising temps and then slowly ramping back down.
Follow the post cure cycle in the TDS as it is stepped so you need to follow it accurately.
Definitely make the solvent video that's a awesome trick
Vote noted 👍
Is it possible to make high temperature forged carbon fiber parts?
If you use the right resin system yes. The IN2 can be post cured to achieve about 90C temp resistance. For higher you would want a higher temperature resin such as our EL160 High temp epoxy.
Could you do a video which shows how to repair molds that have degraded from use?
We can certainly consider it for one of our future tutorials.
Hello sir, Do you have classes for learnings?
We do not at present although we hope to start training courses later in the year.
how can I attend the course@@easycompositestv
Acetone on the release!? Isn't that going to wipe away the release?
Great question, and one that we actually had ourselves! You'll notice that when we apply the 'tackifier' it's done so with a gentle wiping action. This technique seems to fine on the well prepared surface and we didn't notice any problems with releasing. If you were to be more aggressive with the application and scrub at the surface then indeed this may start to impact the release agent surface.
@@easycompositestv interesting to know. I've years of working in composites and this channel is always teaching me something new. I'll give that a try! Thanks
I would like a video on the storage of all the materials. Worst thing is to find the materials are destroy when you are ready to lay a mold.
Generally we recommend storing fabrics on the roll until ready to use.
Can this ML3 be used with "normal" vacuum bagging too? I always have extremely hard time removing your peel ply so if it's much easier as you said it would be perfect :o
It is designed purely for resin infusion.
@@easycompositestv ok thanks :) I guess I'm probably using too much resin so too much soaks through peel ply to breather and in the end it bonds too much and is hard to remove it so will have to work on that!
Hi, would it be possible to do a video on how to make a simple box. I'm a custom knife maker and would love to make boxes to house pen knives. Cheers and keep up the awesome videos
Watch our video on making a battery box here: th-cam.com/video/4ND2WtEZatY/w-d-xo.html You could print the mould or make it using traditional mould making materials.
Hello, what oven are you using in this video? (I mean the oven, not the autoclave linked in the description) The oven seems larger than the oven listed on your website.
Kind regards
Hi Vincent, the oven linked in the description is still an curing oven not an autoclave. Due to the size of this particular mould we did have to use a different oven with larger dimensions. This isn't something we have available for sale I'm afraid.
Thank you for the quick response!😊
I'm working on an EVTOL project as well. Are you already connected with a specific company?
Hi Josh, we work with quite a few UAV companies on a range of projects. The wing section in the video is an internal project to develop higher performance wing structures which we may share the information on one day. Expect several videos in the future featuring some of our UAV work; it's an exciting area and we're right at the forefront of it.
I would love to see the solvent solution!
OK James, vote noted 👍.
what do you do with excess material？
Offcuts of carbon fibre fabric could be chopped up to make forged carbon fibre parts or could be reused as the reinforcement on the next mould (it doesn’t really need to be continuous fabric for moulds).
If you made epoxy the tackifier as an actual product in some kind of spritzer bottle I'd buy it immediately. It would make it so much easier to do complex infusions
Hi Andrea, if only that was possible we'd be right on it ourselves. Although this method of making an epoxy tackifier is - to our knowledge - the only genuinely 'perfect' way of tacking to a mould surface (i.e. the only way that fully integrates, 100%, with the matrix) it only has a short 'shelf life' of a few weeks to maybe a month at the outside so it works great as a make-it-up-yourself system but not as a product that we can manufacture and sell unfortunately.
"I have the materials on hand"
Understatement of the year! 😂😂😂
Great vid as always and +1 for the glue.
Cheers!
Cheers IngBall, vote for the tackifier noted! And yes, given that we have two huge warehouses chock-full of the best composite materials around, we don’t struggle for the right materials!
請問臺灣那邊可以購買你們產品？
How much iron breaks?
Thank you 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for sharing 🎶 😀 🌸
You're welcome, thanks for watching.
Could I add a black dye to the resin on the hope to get a uniformed black finish? I think laying carbon into carbon mould would make my brain hurt 😆
A pigment may help but it depends on the process. With infusion it is hard to get an even pigment distribution but you could make a tooling gel that pigments the surface.
Please carbon fiber alloy wheels making
Something like a wheel is an incredibly critical component and would require extensive testing before being put into service. The repercussions of something like this failing at speed would be disastrous, at this point it's not necessarily a tutorial which we have on the list but may be something we reconsider in the future.
Did you see Tech Ingredients, managed to make usable quantities of graphene?
Grind it up and stick it in the resin, boom orders of magnitude stronger with .02% by mass.
Saving up my pennies for a power supply so I can batch the process.
I think the tests were .3% and .6% by mass.
I kinda had the same thought but I would definitely want to do a series of very stringent testing before deploying this idea. My main concern was the fabric acting like a filter and stopping the graphene from passing through. I can imagine this would be especially do with the inclusion of non woven felts.
Just remember for a mould, do you specifically need the extra mechanical performance? Often it is not necessary.
Thanks a lot bro..
How an aluminum CNC mold is more expensive than handmade layout?
Mainly due to the cost of aluminium billet. In particular, if your mould is quite a 3D shape, you could find yourself machining away most of the expensive billet that you've paid for. In the case of a composite mould, the price per cm3 might be slightly higher than aluminium (although not massively) but you only pay for the material that makes the finished mould, not everything you machine away. Not to mention that a mould like this might have spent 2 days being machined; unless you own a mill, this is going to be more expensive than the few hours spent setting up an infusion.
I wonder if graphene still would spread evenly throughout with resin infusion?
Not something we have tested.
I am stucked hear 😢
Yes please!
Vote noted David; looks like there's lots of interest in this handy tip - we'll try to get it done.
8 plies of 450g carbon is a bit overkill...
Honestly, for a production composite mould, it’s definitely on the light side! Pick up a typical F1 mould, they’re around 8mm (16 plies). Also, the shape makes a difference; flatter moulds have less inherent stiffness so need more reinforcement. This mould could easily have used considerably more!
@@easycompositestv since the mold is used at high temp, even with EL160, does it soften up a little in service? Could that be another reason why thicker molds are favored?
How to make a mould:
1. Get a mould.
2. Make another mould.
realy want to see that tacky video.😉
Noted, it looks like we'll be heading back to the studio soon for this one.