CARBONTEC SHOP
Email:
carbontecshop@aol.com
Telephone: 07767 617982
For more in depth descriptions and pictures about our products please see the information page.
On the features page we will be adding pictures showing the process used in producing our parts.
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So we hope this simple explaination of vacuum infusion gives some idea of the process and the amount of work involved in producing carbon fibre parts.
Vacuum infusion will produce parts with a carbon to resin content similar to that of the prepreg carbon used in F1. You will see cheap carbon products advertised, these will more than likely be wet laid which is laying the carbon in the mould and adding resin usually polyester (very brittle) using brushes and spreaders, they will quite possibly have only one layer of carbon and the rest will be glassfibre. They will be heavy and unstable which will mean they will not last.
At Carbontec Shop we only use carbon or carbon/kevlar for every layer and epoxy infusion resins. Every part has a 2 pack finish coat, either matt or gloss to give full UV protection.
We have had many customers ask what is vacuum infusion. Along with the slide show on the right we will explain the process.
Focus RS Full Battery Cover.
Starting with the bare mould we will spray a thin UV stable clear coat. The tape you can see around the perimeter is the vacuum bag tape (protective film still in place).
Depending on the part or the customers choice of carbon style the dry carbon is positioned in the mould, in this case we are using 2x2 twill. The first layer is held in place using an infusion tac spray, this layer is given the most attention as this is the visible surface. Subsequent layers are then added the same way. As you can see this is built up using various sections, in this case there will be 4.
We now cover the carbon with a peel ply this allows easy removal of the infusion materials and also provides a path to the vacuum port for the evacuation of air. It also leaves a bonding surface for brackets etc if required.
The red flow media is now added this provides the epoxy resin with an easier path to infuse the carbon. The resin inlet can be seen at the bottom of the picture on top of the red flow media. At the top of the picture on the peel ply is the vacuum port leading to the gauge manifold and vacuum pump.
Now we are ready to fit the vaccum bag, as can be seen the protective film from the tape has been removed and the bag with many pleats is in place . We now pull a partial vacuum and position the bag so it is in contact with all areas of the surface, once achieved we can pull a full vacuum 14.7 lbs/sqin. We must have no bag leaks or the part will only be suitable for the waste bin. The resin line clamp is now released and resin from the container will be drawn under vacuum through the mould towards the vacuum port. You can see the resin flow front moving through the mould.
Remember there is around 1000kg pressing down on the part consolidating the carbon and allowing the minimum amount of resin required. The mould has been heated to 40 degrees centigrade from before the process started and will continue until cured, in this case around 2 hours. The temperature is then stage raised to 100 degrees centigrade to post cure the part. The part can then be removed, trimmed, drilled and finished to the customers choice.
For higher temperature engine bay parts a high temperature spec epoxy resin is used capable of withstanding constant temperatures in excess 150 centigrade. These items are subjected to a longer ramped/stepped post curing schedule than normal cosmetic parts.