Wisers briefly describes examples of rapid prototyping of carbon fibre parts.

Many Carbon Fiber Parts Are Manufactured By A Molding Process In An Autoclave (High-Pressure Oven) At Temperatures Between 120°C 180°C Pressures Up To 6 Bar. The Molds Used To Mold The Parts Must Be Made Of A Material That Can Perform Under These Conditions.

To Maintain Accuracy, The Mold Must Also Match The Thermal Expansion Of The Part. Interestingly, The Mold Is Often Made Of The Same Material As The Molded Part—Carbon Fiber!

Carbon Fiber Parts Are Typically Made Prepreg, Which Is A Combination Of Carbon Fiber Reinforcements In Either Woven Unidirectional Form, Impregnated With A Certain Amount Of Resin (Usually Epoxy). Prepreg Requires Heat, Time, Pressure To Cure The Resin Create A Finished Laminate.

The Part Is Created By Assembling A Series Of Pre-Cut Prepreg Sheets Into A Negative Mould, After Processing In An Autoclave The Newly Formed Positive Part Is Removed. However, Before Any Of This Can Happen, The Mould Must Be Created. Therefore, The Rapid Production Of The Mould Is A Key Part Of The Process. The Mould Is Made A More Reactive Product Called Tooling Prepreg.

The Rapid Prototyping Example In This Article Is A Carbon Fiber Part Made By Toray Advanced Composites, Which Is Currently A Leading Product In This Market Segment. The General Processing Flow Is As Follows:

The Tool Prepreg Is Laminated Onto A Master Tool/Pattern, Typically Producing A Tool Thickness Of Around 5 To 6mm; To Maintain Accuracy, It Is First Cured At Low Temperatures (Typically 55 To 60°C) On The Master/Pattern, Then Post-Cured To Higher Temperatures Of Up To 200°C In A Free-Standing State.

Production Time Was Critical, With An Initial Cure Time Of 8 Hours A Post Cure Time Of 20 Hours, Representing 63% Of The 45 Hours Required To Fully Produce The Part. It Was Therefore Critical To Minimize The Processing Time Of The Mold Material While Maintaining A High Surface Quality.

Typical Process Cycle For A Complex 1m2 Component Is:

1. Design Verification: 2 Hours

2. Make The Master Pattern (The Shape That Represents The Final Part): 3 Hours

3. Carbon Fiber Mold Lamination On The Master Mold: 4 Hours

4. Initial Mold Cure (HX56 55°C Cure = Full Time In Autoclave): 8 Hours

5. Mold Finishing (Including Post-Curing): 20 Hours

6. Lamination Of Carbon Fiber Parts: 1 Hour

7. Curing Of Carbon Fiber Parts (Full Time In Autoclave): 6 Hours

8. Final Finishing: 1 Hour

9. Delivery

Total Build Time: 45 Hours; NOTE: If The Performance Characteristics Of The Final Part Do Require Such A High Specification, The Cure Time Can Usually Be Reduced, Reducing The Total Production Time By 8 To 10 Hours.

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Has Become A Standard Material In The Industrial Field, Widely Used In The Aviation Industry Aircraft Manufacturing Industry As Well As Advanced Mechanical Parts , Can Be Used In A Large Number Of Related Application Fields. We Have Long Been Committed To The Processing Of High-Precision, High-Difficulty, Easy-To-Deform Metal Plastic Parts , The Small Medium-Volume Production Manufacturing Of Light Alloy Composite Materials (Such As Aluminum Alloy, Carbon Fiber, Etc.), The Procurement Customization Of Robot Parts . At Present, We Mainly Serve The Fields Of Intelligent Robots, Aerospace, Automotive Industry, Wind Power Generation, Intelligent Automation Equipment, Health Medical Equipment, Optical Equipment, Microwave Communications, Etc.