Ray_li

Never used carbon fiber from an engineering point of view.

What do I need to bear in mind when designing parts in cf?
How are cf parts manufactured?
are there anything else I need to know and who can I use to manufacture small toy parts?

DaveD

iTrader: (2)

The use of carbon fibre composites is a whole science in itself - weaves can be layered in preferential directions to cope with directional loads and the amount / type of resin is also critical.
The weaves are laid into a mould in layers, held together with liquid resin, which hardens. The assembly is then usually put into an autoclave (an oven under pressure) to cure the composite and make the parts bond together.

I would be careful in designing small toy parts - the carbon fibres themselves are very hard, and the composite can be easily abraded. Think of fibreglass, but sharper....

Leslie

Bit more to that than meets the eye I imagine.

We were told that the Pete Goss boat broke because the CF was not treated properly in the autoclave!

Les

The Chief

Ask Andy S. off here - what he doesn't know about CF isn't worth knowing about just google DJ Sportscars to see what he can do - oh and he did the carbon wing on the Top Gear 24 hour BMW diesel. nuff said

r32

Try EPM, one of the largest F1 carbon producers, based in Dracott, Derbyshire.
EPM Technology Draycott Jenson Button|derbyshire|thisisderbyshire

r32

epm : technology

mart360

Worked with it, & derivatives for some years..

as other have said , its a discipline all to itself.


CF Carbon Fibre its not like fibreglass, its whole approach is different

Application methods vary, from spun single strand to prepreg mat.

curing methods vary based on the application. autoclave, UV etc

you really need to work from the back end of the project.

IE what is it your trying to produce.

its no good thinking i can make a spoiler in CF when the cost of the

parts / mould/ production / end use, make the item / cost prohibitive.

have you? your company got any experiance with CF?

i would be tempted to visit a composites manufacturer to see whats

involved, the set up costs may surprise you.

Mart

Ray_li

never used or designed in CF.

I think a meeting with a local company could be useful.

just wanna get the basics to get me started