Matthieu Libeert (Mats Prototyping)
Carbon Fiber Cover - Part 2
updated
Highly requested tutorial here on how to fix some small pinholes you might still have in your carbon fiber parts after using prepreg, wet-lay up, resin infusion or vacuum bagging parts.
Note: this is a tutorial about fixing small pinholes not big resin gaps due to bridging in your lay up.
As good as you are with composites, it might occur to have some small pinholes in your parts. These are caused by air still being trapped while curing, using wrong curing cycles, wrong lay up, overlapping layers, moist, air leaks, bad airflow in your bag, not achieving full vacuum, ... The list goes on. Mostly these are problems that can be solved while making the same part over and over again and after getting a better understanding of the material and part geometry.
These pinholes can be very small and only get visible after sanding the part for the first time or after applying a layer of clearcoat, revealing small holes or air gaps in your part.
The way I like to solve this is using some 2K Clearcoat and filling the small pinholes by hand. This is done by putting small drops of clear on top of the pinholes and filling them with with the clear. After that you can sand them flat and repeat the process again if needed. Once you get most of the pinholes filled you can sand the part fully and proceed to a full heavy double coat of clearcoat applied by spray gun preferably. Sand the part again with a lower grit sanding paper and apply the finishing coat. If you are using a good clear and everything is applied well you should have a nice mirror gloss finish on your part now. If you are still not happy with the result or want an even better finish you can sand your parts with a 2000 or even 3000 grit sanding paper followed by some polishing work.
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#gloss #carbonfiber #fix
In the first video we did some trial and error to prototype and understand the material using polyurethane and chopped Carbon Fiber.
with xencast p2 from @easycompositestv with chopped carbon fiber
Link to the first part here: youtu.be/VvuUXJ_xFVI
In this new video: part 2 we are using better and stronger mould made out of aluminium filled epoxy resin. https://www.easycomposites.eu/tool-cast-epoxy-casting-resin-for-vac-forming-tools
and now we are using epoxy infusion resin instead of the polyurethane, resulting in more translucent parts and stronger parts.
Why didn't I start with epoxy? like mentioned in the first part we wanted to go through the testing results as fast as possible to determine a fiber to resin ratio. the polyurethane has a curing time of about 20min, epoxy resin would be around 6 hours. Meaning we went through all these steps quickly before getting good results directly with the epoxy resin, saving us some time and money.
https://www.easycomposites.eu/tool-cast-epoxy-casting-resin-for-vac-forming-tools
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#carbonfiber #jewellery #resin
full video here: youtu.be/VvuUXJ_xFVI
with xencast p2 from @easycompositestv with chopped carbon fiber
https://www.easycomposites.eu/tool-cast-epoxy-casting-resin-for-vac-forming-tools
For more of my projects make sure to follow me on:
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twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#carbonfiber #jewellery #resin
When the laser strikes the surface, it increases the temperature of the material quickly. The temperature reaches the vaporization temperature in no time, and the material is directly converted from solid to vapors.
The difference between laser engraving and cutting is the depth. In laser engraving, the depth is less, and it takes a little part of the surface. You see an engraved surface that can be felt through touch and appears to be a 3D surface. On the other hand, in laser cutting, the laser beams pass through the object and cut the material. It can be used to section a piece or cut the material into several pieces.
With that being said, the power of laser cutting is intense, and it takes more time than laser engraving.
xTool D1 Pro is an upgradable machine, so you have the option to upgrade it with time. You can attach both laser modules and also buy separate 5W or 10W blue laser modules for better engraving. In addition to that, there are many accessories, such as the extension to engrave large objects, the rotary attachment to engrave spherical and cylindrical objects, and air assist to get better engraving results. There are many things available, and you get new and upgraded laser modules to upgrade your existing machine.
The machine offers an incredible speed that can reach up to 400mm/s. It gives you splendid engraving and cutting results. You can engrave a very large area of 430 x 390mm, which can also be doubled using the extension. The construction quality of the machine is also amazing. It has steel shafts and wheels that last three times longer than other machines available on the market.
There are many prominent and exceptional features in xTool D1 Pro, such as limit switches for all directions to accurately position the laser module, flame detector, tip-over safety, specialized software, and tons of other things to take your laser engraving and cutting business to the next level.
xtool.com
eu.xtool.com
XTOOL10OFF (Valid Date: 21/09-30/09): 10% off for all xTool products
#Xtool #Laser #Cutting
To buy Qidi X-CF PRO
amazon.com/rqiditechnology
aliexpress.com/store/1544433
- roll wrapping prepreg
- Braided carbon fiber sleeves
- Split mould tubing
- Filament winding
For part 2 finishing the tubes: youtu.be/E_ZxEjK4BVk
- Roll Wrapping
- Braided sleeves
- Split mould tubes
- Filament winding
A full video review of the Qidi X Pro Carbon will follow soon, as well as the videos to make the carbon fiber tubes!
In this video I printed mounts to be able to fit tubes on the Xwinder to do some filament winding. As well as a tool to be able to mount the tubes on my lathe to sand the tubes to a high gloss finish.
To save some material and time on the printer I filled the printed parts with P2 Fastcast resin from @easycompositestv to make them more durable and stronger.
To buy Qidi X-CF PRO
amazon.com/rqiditechnology
aliexpress.com/store/1544433
#3dprinting #carbonfiber #epoxy
First step: Getting everything ready to make the mould. I've started with a 3D printed part made out of PLA. I’ve used some polyester bondo to smoothen the printed layer lines. Once sanded we can use the Pattern coat with some MEKP to create an even smoother finish. The Pattern coat is applied by brushed, left to cure for over 3 hours, sanded flat again with a coarse sanding paper, followed by a new coat of pattern primer and sanded flat again with a less coarse grid. Most of your surface should be smooth at this point, if the part is still not flat you can repeat previous process til happy. Once the preparations are done we can proceed with the release film or coat. In my case I use 5 layers of the Chemical Easy Lease agent from @Easy Composites Ltd
Second step: Making the mould at this point. I use the Uni-mould tooling system from Easy Composites here. It's a system where you have to go through 3 stages. First stage is the Tooling Gelcoat (black layer) It is mixed with some MEKP catalyst to ensure a good curing 1-2% needs to be used here and mixed with the gelcoat. After around 8 hours the gelcoat should have cured enough for the next step. After the gelcoat stage we proceed with the coupling coat. The Coupling coat will ensure a good bond between the gelcoat and tooling resin. This time we also mix it with 1-2% MEKP catalyst. To create a stronger layer of the coupling coat, some layers of 100g Chopped strands fiberglass is used and applied in small patches all over the part. The final coat is the tooling resin, the tooling resin is a bit thicker and will create the strength of your mould. The resin is being applied with 4x layers of 400g chopped strand fiberglass pieces. After this is done you are done with the mould stage and can let it cure for preferably over 24h, the longer the better.
Third step: Once the mould has fully cured, the sharp fiberglass edges are trimmed to size using an angular grinder. Make sure to wear proper personal protection with a dust mask. After that the mould can be sanded and polished if needed. Then 5 coats of Chemical Easy Lease agent are used again. Now we are ready to put the dry carbon fiber layers into the mould. I'm using a 650g 12K Twill weave Carbon Fiber here followed by a 300g biaxal, then a 650g again. Try to be careful to make sure there is no bridging (parts where the carbon fiber cloth isn't fully in contact with the mould. This would create air pockets. If needed use some fusion FX spray tack to get the layers and peelply to stick better in the mould. Never spray it on your mould as it will mostly leave markst. After the carbon lay up we proceed with the peelply and infusion mesh follow by the vacuum bag. while bagging the part some pleats are added to make sure the bag will conform nicely over the part and create an even pressure. Once full vacuum is reached (meaning we have zero leakage of pressure we can start mixing the resin. I'm using the IN2 Epoxy resin from Easy Composites. This is a resin type that is thinner than a regular laminating epoxy. This helps with the resin flowing nice and quickly through the part. After the VARTM resin infusion is done we can let the part cure.
Fourth step: After curing for 48 hours the bag is removed and the infusion mesh. The part is demoulded and can be trimmed by using a dremel and my permagrit tools to create the good geometry of the part again.
As for the special carbonfiber finish start with a sanding paper of around 150-200grit and work your way up till 1000 (ie: 150-250-400-600-800-1000) followed by some polishing.
Main materials used:
https://www.easycomposites.eu/uni-mould-tooling-system
https://www.easycomposites.eu/in2-epoxy-infusion-resin
For more of my projects make sure to follow me on:
Facebook: facebook.com/MAT2COMPOSITES
Instagram: matthieu.libeert
twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Carbon #3D #epoxy
First step:
Getting everything ready to make the mould. I've started with an original part made out of PP, to make a good mould we'll need some flanges around the part. I've used some corrugated plastic flute board to close any gaps and create a flange. It's important to take good care here to make sure we have no undercut (meaning you couldn't remove the part due to geometry locking)
It's very important to close any gaps or bolt holes at this stage to make sure we can make a good mould. For the transition of the part to the flange I use some filleting wax and round them over with a ball end tool. Once the preparations are done we can proceed with the release film or coat. In my case I use the Chemical Easy Lease agent from @easycompositestv
Second step:
Making the mould at this point. I use the Uni-mould tooling system from Easy Composites here. It's a system where you have to go through 3 stages.
First stage is the Tooling Gelcoat (black layer) It is mixed with some MEKP catalyst to ensure a good curing 1-2% needs to be used here and mixed with the gelcoat. After around 8 hours the gelcoat should have cured enough for the next step. After the gelcoat stage we proceed with the coupling coat. The Coupling coat will ensure a good bond between the gelcoat and tooling resin. This time we also mix it with 1-2% MEKP catalyst. To create a stronger layer of the coupling coat, some layers of 100g Chopped strands fiberglass is used and applied in small patches all over the part. The final coat is the tooling resin, the tooling resin is a bit thicker and will create the strength of your mould. The resin is being applied with 4x layers of 400g chopped strand fiberglass pieces. After this is done you are done with the mould stage and can let it cure for preferably over 24h, the longer the better.
Third step:
Once the mould has fully cured, the sharp fiberglass edges are trimmed to size using an angular grinder. Make sure to wear proper personal protection with a dustmask. After that the mould can be sanded and polished if needed. Then 5 coats of Chemical Easy Lease agent is used again.
Now we are ready to put the dry carbon fiber layers into the mould. I'm using a 200g 3K Twill weave Carbon Fiber here. Try to be careful to make sure there is no bridging (parts where the carbon fiber cloth isn't fully in contact with the mould. This would create air pockets. Using the fusion FX spray tack I apply 2 more layers of carbonfiber to create a thickness of 0.6mm in total.
Normally we would then proceed with the peelply. But I tried something different here by just using a perforated film inbetween the carbonfiber and the infusion mesh. This saves me some time and material. The only downside is that the back of the part will have a less good finish than with peelply but in this case I didn't matter that much.
Now it's time for the vacuum bag with tack tape and infusion mesh followed by the resin lines and vacuum lines. while bagging the part some pleats are added to make sure the bag will conform nicely over the part and create an even pressure. Once full vacuum is reached (meaning we have zero leakage of pressure we can start mixing the resin.
I'm using the IN2 Epoxy resin from Easy Composites. This is a resin type that is thinner than a regular laminating epoxy. This helps with the resin flowing nice and quickly through the part.
After the VARTM resin infusion is done we can let the part cure.
Fourth step:
After curing for 48 hours the bag is removed and the infusion mesh. The part is demoulded and can be trimmed by using a dremel and my permagrit tools to create the good geometry of the part again. The holes can be drilled using a regular dril on low speed. After drilling the holes can be fine tuned by using some files. Some sanding is advised prior clear coating the part.
Main materials used:
https://www.easycomposites.eu/uni-mould-tooling-system
https://www.easycomposites.eu/in2-epoxy-infusion-resin
For more of my projects make sure to follow me on:
Facebook: facebook.com/MAT2COMPOSITES
Instagram: matthieu.libeert
twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Carbon #motorcycle #epoxy
In this video I show you how I’ve casted the hand of my girlfriend in alginate as a mould followed by the casting in an Acrylic polymer plastic.
The process is fairly simple and fast, not much equipment of materials are needed to get this project to a good finish.
The Acrylic polymer can be painted or finished after curing in any finish you like. I’ve used some gold to finish the fist.
Materials used and their information:
Acrystal prima: polyestershoppen.be/acrystal/acrystal-prima-497.html
Alginate: polyestershoppen.be/siliconenrubber/alginaat-vormrubber-673.html
1. To make the casting of the hand you start with the alginate:
The alginate mould is made by using some clean water, make sure to use water that isn’t too hot to make sure you have enough time to mix and cast the hand. I found that having the water in a bucket and adding the alginate powder while mixing works best. Mix fast and scrape the edges to make sure everything is well mixed. Having a few lumps in your mixture isn’t a big issue. After mixing I brushed some of the material on my girlfriend hand and she put her hand in the mixture. Make sure your subject is in a comfortable position to stay for the next 10 minutes of curing.
After 10 minutes the subject can remove her hand from the alginate mould big gently wiggling out her hand. Now you’re left with a moist alginate mould. And can proceed directly with the casting of the Acrylic polymer, In my case Acrystal prime.
2. To make the Acrylic casting:
Mix the Acrylic in the mixing ratio’s supplier by your supplier. Acrystal consists of a powder and liquid that has to be mixed to a milky texture. Once mixed you can let it sit for a few minutes to make sure most of the air bubbles are out. Due to it’s low viscosity no vacuum degassing is needed put might help for bigger castings. Once poured in the alginate gently tap the mould to remove any trapped bubbles. After about 1h everything should be cured and hard.
3. To remove the part from the casting:
Use a knife to cut up your alginate mould in small sections and dig out your casting. One of the downsides of Alginate is that you can only use it once. Another important thing is to do your Acrylic casting as fast as possible after you’ve made your alginate mould to avoid shrinkage of the alginate.
To finish your part you can use any types of paint, If you’d like a skin tone on your part you could use some paint, In my case I’ve painted them in gold using an acrylic paint and another version just with some spray can clear.
If you wonder why I needed a casting of my girlfriends hand? I wanted to buy a ring for her and didn’t know her ring size. By using the casting I was able to make a close estimate to go to the ring maker.
For more of my projects make sure to follow me on:
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twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Alginate #casting #hand
In this video I review and make some 3d printed examples on the SOVOL SV04.
The SV04 3D printer is an IDEX printer meaning it can print with two individual extruders.
The printer has 4 printing modes: Single, dual, copy, mirror.
By using single mode you can print with extruder 1 or 2 to print like a regular 3d printer.
The dual mode will use both extruders with fillament loaded on each. That way you can print multi-color or multi-material like PLA ABS ASA WOOD TPU PETG.
The copy mode and mirror mode will use both extruders at the same time printing two pieces simultaneously. Making this printer 2 for the price of 1, and faster production of 3D printed parts.
The link to the SV04 IDEX on the Sovol official website: sovol3d.com/products/sv04
The link to the SV04 IDEX on the US Amazon shop: amzn.to/3MmqIhY
Technical Specifications
● Extrusion Tech: Independent Dual Direct Drive Metal Extruder (IDEX)
● Build Size: 300mm x 300mm x 400mm
● Build Plate Dimension: 310mm*320mm
● Printer Dimensions: 653mm(L) *625mm(W) *803mm(H)(Include filament holder)
● Package Dimensions: 735mm (L) x 700mm (W) x 290mm (H)
● Net Weight: 15kg
● Layer Resolution: 0.1mm
● Positioning Accuracy: X/Y 0.012mm Z 0.001mm
● Supported Print Materials: PLA, TPU, TPE,HIPS, ABS, PETG, WOOD, PC, PA, PVA, ASA.
● Print Speed: 20~120mm/s(suggested 60mm/s)
● Stock Nozzle Diameter: 0.4 mm
● Operational Extruder Temperature: Max 260ºC
● Operational Hotbed Temperature: Max 100ºC
● Input Formats: .STL, .OBJ, DAE, AMF
● Ambient Operating Temperature:8ºC - 40ºC
● Connectivity: SD Card or Data Cable
● 7 Step Motors: 42-40 Step Motor*1 42-34 Step Motor*4 42-28 *2
#3D #3Dprinting #3dprinter
The Tutorial is made out of 3 different processes:
1. Making the carbonfiber plates:
I've decided to go for a more exotic carbonfiber here, being the 160g 15mm Spread Tow 2x2 Twill Carbon Fibre Cloth (1000mm) from @easycompositestv This one has the same looks of regular twill weave carbonfiber but enlarged by weaving spread tow in a twill weave pattern.
The plate is created by first placing the spread tow on a mould (being the glass plate here) Followed by 2 layers of regular twill weave 200g/m² Carbon Fiber. To Create a good resin infusion you'll need to add a layer of peelply (that will be removed after curing) a layer of infusionmesh, resin channels and a vacuumbag. When the vacuumbag is properly placed under good vacuum you can proceed with the resin infusion. For the resin infusion, I'll use the IN2 Resin Infusion Epoxy resin. One of the advantages is that this resin is sold with a fast or slow hardener. By mixing both hardeners you're able to adjust the curing time. It's a bit of a game finding the sweet spot to have a fast cure, but still have enough time to complete a full resin infusion. While doing the infusion it's always good to throttle the resin flow by opening and closing the resin feed line to have the resin infusion not going to fast.
After curing the peelply can be removed with the infusion mesh, leaving a nice glossy carbon fiber plate. The part is sanded with a 400P grit sanding paper, creating a good bond for the casting resin and cleaning the surface of the plate.
2. Making the 3D printed logo and number
The software I use is Fusion 360, I went quickly through the process here, due to the fact that I believe there are some great tutorials online already with people being able to explain everything in a better way than I do. But if there is a good amount of interest, I might do a basic tutorial later on!
The files are then sliced in Cura and printed on my Creality Ender 3S1 on my carbonfiber bedplate. Printed with a 0.4 Nozzle at 0.2 layer hight with a printbed of 200°C and nozzle temp of 60°C, I've used more layers to avoid having to print with infill on these prints. The material used is PLA
The 3D printed parts are then glued on the carbonfiber using some CA glue to position them and avoid them to float when the resin is poured later on.
3. Casting the purple Glasscast50 Epoxy Resin:
Unfortunately not everything went as planned here. I was more aiming for a lightly tinted purple translucent casting, making it possible to still see the carbon fiber weave under it. unfortunately the resin was tinted a bit to much resulting in a less translucent cast. For this project I've used the Glasscast50 epoxy from the Easy Composites epoxy casting range. This resin is good for castings up to 25mm, for bigger castings they now have an extra thick pour resin. Keep in mind that the amount of resin mixed will also have an impact on how thick you can pour. Once the resin is poured it is left to cure for over 4 days to reach a good cured stage. After that the part is cured in the oven at 40°C to reach a good post cure and make sure the part is cured enough for sanding and polishing.
To add an extra feature I wanted to round the edges. I've used a router to do this. It shows that the resin can easily be routed and milled but had some trouble creating a nice rounded edge due to the small dimensions of this piece. Any how I was able to recover the part and proceed to the finishing and polishing stage.
To Sand an epoxy part to high gloss I mostly start with a 150P grit to "clean" the part and edges. After that I proceed to a full sanding of the part using 220,320,500,800,1000. Once done we can proceed to the finishing stages being the polishing. I first use a hard polishing on the polishing wheel. Make sure to move the part while doing this to avoid overheating your epoxy resin. Clean the part and proceed to a softer finishing.
Casting 3D Print In Epoxy Resin (Glasslike Translucent Bubble Free High Gloss Finish)
youtu.be/iam0NyXouVc
Making A Carbon Fiber Print Bed For My 3D Printer (how to)
youtu.be/V8A_QTq9WYg
Creality Ender 3 S1 - Good or bad?! Review and examples
youtu.be/XuxkdKrNnE4
Materials used:
160g 15mm Spread Tow 2x2 Twill Carbon Fibre Cloth (1000mm)
easycomposites.co.uk/160g-15mm-spread-tow-22-twill-carbon-fibre-cloth
GlassCast 50 Clear Epoxy Casting Resin
easycomposites.co.uk/glasscast-50-clear-epoxy-casting-resin
For more of my projects make sure to follow me on:
Facebook: facebook.com/MAT2COMPOSITES
Instagram: matthieu.libeert
twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Carbonfiber #3Dprinting #Resin
If you've missed previous video, make sure to check it out as well to get a better understanding on how the 3D printed moulds were made and how the first parts were made. These are the ones that are being used in the second part of the video where I do a polished finish and a glossy finish.
3D Printed Moulds To Make Carbon Fiber Epoxy Resin Tubes – How to Tutorial: youtu.be/g0MwuuJ6cJA
For this tutorial:
In the previous tutorial moulds were made printing PowerPLA from additive heroes, following link: 3dprinthings.be/materialen/additive-heroes-filament/additive-heroes-power-pla
These filaments are still PLA but lean a bit more to ABS features.
The moulds were then filled with the @easycompositestv TC80 Tool Cast Epoxy Casting Resin. Moulds were only cured, up to 60°C as I knew they were only going to be used for coldcuring resins at this stage.
As I had the idea to use these moulds for prepreg as well, a higher mould temperature is needed. Thats why I decided to put these PLA moulds to the test and possibly ruining them, but if you don't try, you don't learn so went for an extra postcuring cycle to raise the Tg value even more. To reach higher Tg values you need to gradually raise the temperature of the material in a controlled way. I went for following cycle:
2h 60°C - 1h 70°C - 1h 80°C - 1h 90°C - 2h 100°C - 1h 110°C - 2h 120°C
That way we should be able to cure at those higher temperatures to cure prepreg carbon fiber as well now. On of the possible risks is fully deterioration of resin and PLA causing it to be brittle and lose part geometry due to shrink or expansion.
After removal from the oven, no big changes were noticable, only doing a further inspection I've noticed the sharp edges had some movements as well as the flat sides were bend inwards, probably shrinkage where there was a different mass.
for the prepreg side of things I've went quite rapidly through the process as I've already covered the entire process in another video.
Carbon Fiber prepreg is applied, In this video I've used 3 layers of Easy composites XC110 210g 2x2 Twill 3k Prepreg Carbon Fibre (1250mm).
The prepreg used here was a bit outdated on shelf live but thought it would still serve it's purpose for such small test.
After the layers are applied the lay up of stacked prepreg carbon fiber is debulked (remove air inbetween the layers) using a perforated film with breather, then put into a bag and vacuum is pulled.
Before bagging everything up in the final vacuum bag a film of release film is applied, then everything is put into the bag and sealed using tacky tape. the press fit vacuum connector is then used to pull full vacuum, then everything is put into the curing oven, under vacuum, for over 8 hours.
The part wasn't perfect. The part had some bridging and pinholes. Is this caused due to outdated prepreg, something to do with the PLA chemistry, wrong curing cycle or user error? Analyzing the part and where the flaws are I would think user error. I didn't put that much time into well placing the prepreg in the mould thinking it was an easy mould, as well I've forgot to bolt the holes, where some resin might have leaked into. This could cause the part to be not as resin rich as it would need to be, causing pinholes.
I know from experience that some materials like polyurethane and polyesters tend to "sweat" residue under high temperatures which might cause some problems as well. So it can be a combination of many factors. Anyhow, I'm still pleased with the results, the moulds held well and can be used for more parts, and more testing needs to be done!
As for the finishing of carbon fiber parts I had two samples from previous tutorial. One was good, the other one had some flaws. I decided to show you 2 possible different finishes, One glossy, the other one highly polished carbonfiber. You'll mostly find highly polished carbon fiber on super cars and F1 cars. As they still want to have smooth surfaces for good airflow, but don't want to add extra weight of clear.
To fix the flaws, like big pinholes and air pockets its good practice so sand the part with 120P grit sanding paper, then coat a layer of resin on top, to fill the big flaws, then go back to sanding with a 240P grit. I've used 1K clear out of spraycan to keep everything as DIY and simple in the video. Obviously a 2K out of spraygun gives better results! but that will be for another video ;)
Gloss part: 120P, epoxy coat, 240P, Clear 2x, 320P, Clear, 1000P, 2000P, soft polish
Polished part: 240P, 320P, 500P, 1000P, 2000P, Hard polish, soft polish
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#3DPrint #Carbonfiber #Mould
I’ve used my Creality Ender 3S1 to create the moulds. Power PLA was used as these have the characteristics of ABS which are, to my opinion, closer to what I need without having to print with ABS. PETG would be suitable as well, but wasn’t at my disposal while making this video.
Link to video’s mentioned in this tutorial:
Lithophane 3D print: youtu.be/lyqq_zG1S0w
Review Creality Ender 3S1: youtu.be/XuxkdKrNnE4
Once printed, I’ve added some bolts and nuts to have a threaded insert that could be used later on. The bolts were coated with some spraycan mould release to ensure a good release of the bolts later on. The nuts weren’t coated to assure a good bond with the TC80 epoxy that will be poured later on.
In this video I’ve used some VAC Cast aluminium filled epoxy resin from @Easycomposites. They now have changed the name to TC80, now Tool Cast resin (Link below to product). Some of the advantages of using this epoxy filled resin is that it has low shrink, higher temp resistance TG, can be poured in bigger volumes.
1.2 Kg was used here for the two mould halves. Keep in mind that this resin has a higher density than water, while calculating the volume you have to add more resin. More information can be found on following product link: easycomposites.co.uk/tool-cast-epoxy-casting-resin-for-vac-forming-tools
After Casting the resin was left to cure for over 24h before having it’s postcure into the oven. You slowly ramp up the temperature till desired temperatures.
The Silicone intensifier was made using some platinum silicone. A 3D printed mould was used to cast the silicone in. For best results I’ve used spiralize/vase/vaze mode in cura. This way you have a continuous print without seams. Some of the advantages of using an intensifier is that it will expand under heat, creating pressure. It will also leave a good finish on the inside of your part. This means you’ll have controllable thicknesses. An aluminium rod was added to be able to remove the silicone mandrel after the epoxy carbon fiber braided sleeve has cured.
To make the tubes I’ve used a carbon fiber braided sleeve with an average diameter of 40mm (link below to product) I’ve folded the edges on the inside so they have a good finish to start with. You could also cut the carbon fiber strands. Some EL2 (Epoxy laminating resin) was mixed using the fast hardener from Easy Composites. Make Sure to mix well. A small amount is only needed and was applied to the carbon fiber sleeve and a bit to the mould that was pre-coated with some chemical release agent to ensure a good demoulding after cure. The epoxy was applied using a brush.
The Two 3D printed moulds were closed with the carbon fiber braided sleeve and silicone mandrel/intensifier in the 3D printed mouldhalves. That way some pressure is created to create a good surface finish. After the the aluminium rod is inserted using some Vaseline as a lubricant. This aluminium rod will create some more pressure and stability of the Silicone mandrel.
After an oven cure of 6 Hours the 3D printed moulds were removed from the oven and let cooled down. The mould halves were released and the silicone mandrel was removed. Leaving a nice carbon fiber tube. Downside was that when using one layer, some airpockets appeared meaning there was not enough pressure. Two solutions here: increase the diameter of the silicone mandrel/intensifier or add more layers. In this case it was easier to add 2 Layers, creating more wall thickness and thus more pressure. The Results were beter.
In the next tutorial I’ll go through more details on how to finish a carbon fiber part with defects!
Link to to Power PLA from additive heroes: 3dprinthings.be/materialen/additive-heroes-filament/additive-heroes-power-pla
Link to carbonfiber braided sleeve: easycomposites.co.uk/40mm-carbon-fibre-braided-sleeve
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#3DPrint #Carbonfiber #Mould
To create the Instagram logo I designed the logo in fusion 360. By extruding some sketches I go to the logo I’ve used here.
The Instagram logo was printed on my Creality Ender 3 S1. I’ve you’ve missed my review video or want to know more about it check the video on following link. youtu.be/XuxkdKrNnE4
As For the 3D printing filament I’ve used MagicPLA from 3Djake 3djake.com/3djake/magicpla-deep-space
As For the Carbon Fiber printbed you can find a link here to watch the full video I’ve made previously
youtu.be/V8A_QTq9WYg
The logo was printed with a 0.4 nozzle and 0.12 layer height in Magic PLA. The mouldbox was printed with a 0.8 nozzle and a 0.6 layer height.
Once the prints were ready I created a buildplate to bond the print on. First I’ve used some chemical release agent ‘easylease’ from Easycomposites. By doing so I ensure I can remove the back to pour the second layer later on. The 3D printed mouldbox was also coated with a layer of release agent out of spraycan. This will help to remove the 3D printed mouldbox later on. Gaps from the 3D print were filled using some UV resin and a UV flashlight. The last thing you want is a leaking mouldbox. As mentioned in the video you could make a moulbox from any material you want (mostly melamine or plastic sheets)
Once the mouldbox was ready, the seams were filled with hot glue to prevent leaks. The 3D printed logo was bonded to the baseplate as well using UV glue again. Just fixed it on a few spots to prevent it from floating or moving around once the epoxy resin was poured.
As for the epoxy resin, Glasscast 50 was used from easycomposites or Glasscast. You can find a more detailed information of the product on following website. https://www.easycomposites.eu/glasscast-50-clear-epoxy-casting-resin
Make sure to degass your resin prior pouring and after pouring it in the mouldbox for best results.
If your not familiar with epoxy resins, make sure to do some test samples first and read as much information as needed. The most important thing to know, when working with epoxy resins, is that epoxy resin is a mixture of an A & B resin. Once mixed it will cure to a hard material. Most important to know is that not all epoxy resins have the same formulation. Some are made to cure fast, other slow, some are fully clear some are not. Glasscast 50 is specialy formulated for deep pours like river tables and objects. If you’re not using the resin in the right way or have to high ambient temperatures the resin will go in an exothermal state causing it to generate heat in an exponential curve. This results in yellowing or burning of your resin, shrinkage, bubbles, and cracks.
The reason I was able to cast in such big volume is due to low ambient temperatures in the workshop at the moment being 12°C. This will cause the resin to slowly cure (more than 48 hours in my case)
Once the first layer has cured the baseplate is removed, any trapped bubbles were removed and the back was sanded to create a good bonding surface for following layers comping on top.
A new mouldbox was printed and applied on the back the same way as the first one. Some glasscast 50 was mixed again and poured in the mouldbox. The fresh coat of resin will fill the sanding scratches and in my case the airpockets as well. Make sure to degass your resin prior pouring and after pouring it in the mouldbox for best results.
Once cured the mouldbox is removed, thanks to using a good release agent I was able to remove the mouldbox in a good way. Now the fun part starts….sanding. First I removed the sharp edges of the cast by hand sanding the edge. This will prevent to cut sanding paper on your sanding machine. First all edges were flattened and the texture of the 3D print was removed. For the Finer sanding I started with a 150P followed by 220P 350P 500P 800P with cleaning the part inbetween sanding.
For the finishing layers a 1000P wet sand was done followed by a 2000P sanding. For the polishing I’ve used a fine polishing compound for best results.
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#Epoxy #3D #Resin
One of the downsides of making lithophanes with 3D printers is the long printing times. This Charizard pokemon card took more than 8 hours to print. That’s why I’m taking this tutorial to the next level. I’ll be making a silicone mould of this 3D Printed Pokemon Card and then cast it with polyurethane resin and casting epoxy resin. That way I’m able to cast many parts from the orginal 3D Print using the silicone mould.
1. What is a lithophane:
It’s usually a straight surface of thin material which contains a hidden secret. This secret will only reveal itself when light shines on the back of the material and shows its true beauty. This special revelation is expressed in a piece of beautiful art that can include highly detailed images.
2. How does a lithophane work:
The lithophane needs to be a thin material, formerly end mostly porcelain, with varying thicknesses. It’s fundamental for a lithophane to have variations in thickness. Thicker parts within the lithophane will block more light than the thinner parts. This way the material can manipulate different intensities of light passing through the material. This creates different contrasts which can be seen with the eye as different intensities of gray. When the contrast is carved out of the material very detailed and precisely it can display very realistic images.
3. About the 3D printing:
I went on lithophanemaker.com to create an .STL file from a picture. By changing some numbers you can create anything you want and the website will generate an .STL you can then import in your slicing software (in my case it was cura) For more detailed information on how to set up your printer and slicing software I would advice you to have a look at their videos on their website. The most important things in your slicing software is to avoid travel around your part. Part as small as you can in layer height (0.2 was fine for me here but 0.12 would give even better results) print in the Y-axis orientation (that way your printhead has less traveling) print slowly and use 100% infill or set a high number of layer lines. That way you don’t have infill in your picture.
The print was done using additive heroes PLA from 3dprinthings.be in a fluo orang color (thought it would match the Charizard color) But this can be printed in any color, just make sure to use the lighter colors in the spectrum like white and grey as they will let more light through.
If printed everything on a Creality Ender 3 S1 with a custom build bed plate I’ve made in a previous tutorial, link to the video can be found here youtu.be/V8A_QTq9WYg
4. About the silicone mould:
After printing the mouldbox and sealing the edges to avoid leaks. I’ve used some silicone to make a negative of our original 3D print. polyestershoppen.be/siliconenrubber/siliconen-gietrubber-shore-15-216.html for the silicone used. I’ve mixed the silicone first in a cup, mixed, then transferred in a new cup, mixed again (to avoid unmixed resin) and degassed the resin to remove any air in the mixture. The silicone is then poured onto the 3D print into the mouldbox. Best practice is to pour from the lowest point of your mouldbox in one spot and let it flow out. That way you can avoid air being trapped into the surface of your mould. Once it was poured the part and silicone were put back into the degassing chamber to remove any bubbles or air that were still stuck on the surface.
About the casting:
To cast you have many options. You can cast in polyurethane (like I mostly did in this video) Epoxy resin, silicone, polyester, concrete or even chocolate if you want. For most of the castings here I’ve went for Polyurethane, being a fast cast polyurethane now under the name of P2 from Xencast. Link can be found here easycomposites.co.uk/fast-cast-polyurethane-casting-resin
Xencast P2 is a fast setting polyurethane resin making it possible to demould after a short amount of time, therefore making it possible to make multiple castings a day out of the same silicone mould. No release is needed on silicone moulds as no materials will stick to silicone unless silicone itself. To colour your parts you can use pigments or dies.
Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon Pokemon
Charizard Charizard Charizard Charizard Charizard Charizard Charizard Charizard Charizard
Lithophane Lithophane Lithophane Lithophane Lithophane Lithophane Lithophane Lithophane
3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print
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#Pokemon #Lithophane #3Dprint
Some of the biggest advantages of using a carbon fiber bed plate on your 3D printer are the following:
1. Lower weight of the build plate (more stable movement)
2. Thermal stable on expansion (so less bowing or shrinkage of the plate)
3. Good thermal conductor (carbon fiber will take up heat faster and remove heat faster)
4. It looks good :D
Is this much better than a glass plate? No, you could get the same results with a glass plate but I believe this plate will have benefits using some more exotic filaments like ABS, TPU, Nylon, PET,…
Specially with the low thermal expansion and thermal conductivity of the carbon fiber
Let me know what printers most of u are using, so I can make some iterations on this video in the future based on most used 3D printers in the description.
I mainly work with carbon fiber on this youtube channel but decided to add a bit of 3D printing in my adventures.
As for the carbon fiber bed:
I’ve used various layers of carbon fiber to make a stable stack of layers with different weight of carbon fibers and carbon fiber orientation. Doing so I’m able to make a stable plate that won’t warp after demoulding or in the future while using it.
I have some more elaborated videos on my channel on my channel if interested in carbon fibre or processes used.
For this plate I’ve used the resin infusion technique (also called VARTM) to produce a nicely compacted stack of layers to add the resin to. The pressure of the vacuum will create an even thickness after demoulding the part.
As for the resin I’ve used some high temp resin from Easy Composites. In the past you might have seen that I’ve used the IN2 infusion epoxy resin. Having higher temperatures involved with 3d Printing I decided to use a higher temperature resin. The High Temperature resin from Easy Composites can be infused as well but has a higher viscosity so it’s advised to only use this on smaller and less complex parts. I let the resin cure for over 12 hours at room temperature before proceeding with the post curing of the part and resin into the oven. The part was graduality ramped up to higher temperatures over a timespan of 12 hours till 120°C. This means we now have a Tg value of 120°C for the print bed. Meaning it won’t bed, warp, melt till these temperatures.
To flatten the part after demoulding (B side has a peelply finish due to the peelply) I’ve used some primer out of spray can to highlight the low and high spots. Than I proceeded with sanding with a 150P grit sanding paper on my Mirka orbital sander. While sanding you’ll see how far you’ve got through the peelply finish and where you need more sanding. Having the B-side finish we can now proceed with the A-side. The A-side already had a good finish so I was able to start sanding with a 1200P grit followed by some polishing.
As For the printing:
I’ve made this printbed for my Creality Ender 3 S1. In case you’ve missed my review on this printer you can find it on following link: youtu.be/XuxkdKrNnE4
I’ve adding the plate using some clamps followed by some bedleveling. Keep in mind that adding a plate like this will lower your build volume due to the space the clamps are taking. I’ve noticed this while levelling the bed and having the CR touch interfering with the clamps. By moving the clamps I was able to solve that problem and proceed to do a first heat test of the bed. I’ve noticed that the temperatures where a bit of but I’ll fix that later on with some PID tuning in the software.
Once everything ready I was able to do a first test print, on the new Carbon Fiber print bed, being a calibration cube. I’ve started a bit higher on the Z-axis to lower it while printing till I was happy with the adhesion on the print bed. The Print turned out great with a good finish on the bottom of the part, even leaving an added bonus of having a nice texture of carbon fiber on the bottom. So far so good and more happy with this than my PC flex plate that came with the Creality Ender 3 S1 printer stock.
I’ve added a new print being a Benchy to make sure everything was running well. And it did! Good benchy came out of the printer without being knocked of the builplate.
Carbon fiber carbon fiber carbon fiber carbon fiber carbon fiber
3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print 3d print
Bed plate Bed plate Bed plate Bed plate Bed plate Bed plate Bed plate Bed plate
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#creality #carbonfiber #3dprint
in this video I show you how you can give a wooden sheet a concrete look. This goes under the name of polished concrete, beton ciré or mortex as a brand name. I'll take you through the steps of making this floating desk.
Mortex is a brand name known in belgium, you can find more information on following link bealinternational.com/en
The technique on it's own is pretty well known. You can apply it to floors, walls, kitchentops, pools, furniture and more to give it a concrete look, without having it to fully pour it with concrete.
Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this video are my own thoughts and how I've personally made it. If you want to attempt to do something similar, do some testing first, contact a specials or get more detailed information.
Make sure to go through the TDS (technical date sheet for correct information) bealinternational.com/en/technical-sheets
The system I've used is by following following steps.
1. Use a primer: Residur or Resipact G. Both will make a barrier between your material you want to cover and the Mortex coming on top. I've used the Resipact G. It's a 1K component you can apply to your surface, it will create a nice bonding surface (primer) to witch you can apply your polished concrete mixture. I've applied it by roller. It will leave a textured finish to which it will bond well.
2. Use a first layer of polished concrete mixture (in my case Mortex Color F2)
you mix Mortex Color F2 with some Bealcryl 2. General rule is the lowe the F value the lower the amount of Bealcryl needed. In general you could say that for 5kg of Bealcryl you'll need 25kg of Mortex Color F-value)
You can add color and additives to this mixture to change it properties an characteristics like flow and potlife, meaning working time.
3. After adding the first layer you just need to do a quick rub with some sanding paper to remover high spots, debrees, and sharp edges. In, my case I Then proceeded using the mortex color F4. This has a smoother finish and texture. By adding this on top of the first layer, you'll fill the gaps made with the F2. Once you've sanded this back you'll see some color difference and a nice texture being created by the design of the 2 layers.
4. To finish my floating desk I've sanded the part with a 150P grit and added some Bipur Matte clear on top by using a roller. The first layer will get sucked down pretty hard, as the following layers will create the nice and even finish. Make sure to respect the drying times inbetween the layers for best results.
5. Using some aluminium T-slot profiles I created the support to mount to the walls. Profiles come from www.aluxprofiel.nl
In case you want to know more about that check out my following videos:
youtu.be/ctGYlGfkp04 (3d printing enclosure)
youtu.be/pYA6JB3QszI (rolling working table)
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#Mortex #concrete #howto
After Using my Creality Ender 5 Plus printers, I decided to add 2 new Creality Ender 3 S1 printers to the family!
In this video I'll go through the main features of the printer and go through some test 3D prints to show you the results you can expect from this printer.
I bought these printers myself on http://www.3dprinthings.be for €440 at the time of making this video. Black PLA is from 3D printhings as well: 3dprinthings.be/materialen/additive-heroes-filament/additive-heroes-premium-pla "Additive heroes premium PLA Raven black"
In no way I was sponsored so I'm just giving my honest opinion about this printer without being biased. This review is my personal opinion purely to show you what you can expect from this printer.
If interested in buying this printer, make sure to see it's features to make sure it matches your expectations.
The Ender 3 S1 is the newest printer from Creality. It has a higher price than the Ender 3 models but has all the features the Creality community wanted in this printer. So all Upgrades like direct drive, bigger screen, Dual Z, bed leveling is included in this printer.
One of the main features/upgrades on the Ender 3 S1 is the new SPRITE extruder. The extruder is easy to add and remove and is held in place with 4 screws. All cables from the fans, hot end, CR touch, probe are connected on a circuit board on the back. By using one sleeved ribbon cable everything is connected to the newly designed silent mainboard.
The printer has a run out filament sensor, and a power shut down recovery mode. Making sure that in any possible situation you should be able to finish your print. The printer has a PC magnetic bed for easy removal of your prints. The bedleveling is made easier with the 16 point CR level probe. Keep in mind that you'll still need to level your bed and set up de Z distance but once calibrated the bed touch probe should help you get rid of small imperfections in you leveling.
The direct drive in the SPRITE extruder makes it possible to use various printing materials like PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS. Keep in mind that this is not a all metal hot end, you still have a bowden tube in you heatsink. So going much higher in temperature for PP, Nylon might cause some damage to your hotend. As a solution for this Creality is working on a SPRITE pro that will have an all metal hotend to solve these problems. Another benefit is that by swapping the extruder for a laser you'll be able to change the use of your printer by buying the add ons.
So is this printer good?
I would personaly buy it again straight away. It's easy to assemble, has direct drive, works straight out of the box, no need to mod your printer to get good results. It doesn't have a touchscreen like on my ender 5 plus, but you get used to it. Another few minor things are that the fan is in front of the nozzle, this should give better results for your prints but is blocking the view over your print. The spool on top is something I'll try to adjust as well in the future to have the printer have a smaller footprint if I'll want to enclose them.
Models used:
thingiverse.com/thing:3620216 (female torso) original file has some flaws
thingiverse.com/thing:5137077 (male torso)
thingiverse.com/thing:4578026 (astronaut)
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#creality #ender #S1
reviewing + examples on the Creality Ender 3 S1
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:362... (female torso) original file has some flaws
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:513... (male torso)
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:457... (astronaut)
#Shorts #Creality #3dprinting
Detailed description will follow!
You can find the link to the 3D printing enclosure here if you've missed that video
youtu.be/ctGYlGfkp04
The workshop table is made out of 4040 T-slot Aluminium/Aluminum profiles I bought from:
https://www.aluxprofiel.nl
The dimensions of the table are 2600mm x 1600mm x 870mm
I've picked these dimensions, specifically the width of 1600mm because the largest fabric rolls (vacuumbagging film, carbonfiber, fiberglass, peelply) in my composites projects are mostly max. 1500mm. That way I'm sure most fabrics should fit on the table.
To build this table you'll need about 40lm of 4040 profiles, corner brackets, T-slots, bolts, wood, wheels.
So I'll mention straight away this isn't a cheap option to make tables but it's a way to make a good, strong, light, modular table that will last years. Also the T-slots have the advantage you can slide extra profiles later on in the structure so it can serve more specific purposes in the future (eg. Adding a fabric roll system for my composite materials like carbon fiber, fiberglass, kevlar, bagging films, peelply, ....
The tabletops, shelves, and bottom plate are made out of stabilized 18mm MDF panels painted with Vibol paint. Vibol paint is a company nearby the workshop selling various types of paint. I've used the PU paint for the tablestop. It's a 2K polyurethane based paint that is very easy to apply, has a dense coloring, cures at low temperatures in a fast way and can be applied in multiple coats. The paint is mainly used for metal work to protect against rust and scratches. It's specially developed for industrial and maritime applications so should be perfectly suited for this workshop table.
The reason it's important to use a 2K paint for tables in this use is that while using chemicals like acetone and degreasers or resins, you have an extra layer of security it won't affect your surface finish.
#Aluminium #build #workshop
Focusing a bit more on 3D printing in this new series of video's on my YouTube-Channel!
In this video I'll focus a bit more on how I've build a strong, rigid 3D printing enclosure for my 2 Creality Ender 5 Plus 3D printers. This enclosure will help me experiment a bit more with other types of fillament and materials. Mainly materials that need more stable temperatures and settings like Nylon, PET, ABS, TPU. As till now I was only printing with PLA giving me good results. With the winter on it's way here in Belgium I found out I needed to get my temperatures a bit more stable during printing, thus why I decide to make this enclosure using https://www.aluxprofiel.nl/
profiles
The enclosure Is made out of Aluminium T-slot profiles 4040 (4cm x 4cm) giving me a strong enough and rigid case to hold my 2 creality ender 5 plus printers. A door is added so I can access the printers when needed.
While searching online for 3D-printing enclosures I didn't found what I was looking for, so I decided to make one myself. Some people suggested welding a frame would be cheaper but I was a bit reluctant welding things into place, drilling holes in steel, having to paint the frames.
Other said you could buy server cases to put your printers in but I didn't really found a good option in the measurements I was looking for, for a good price.
The good thing about the aluminium T-slot profiles is that they are so flexible in options. You can move the profiles, slide in new ones, add profiles, put specific tools on it like legs, hinges, handles, mount things on it and many more (I would highly recommend you having a look at aluxprofiles website to see the many options). An other advantage as well is that you can easily cut the profiles to size just using a circular saw. It's almost as easy as using lego, knex, mecano.
The general box enclosure measurements you'll need to make for 1x Creality Ender 5 plus would be 800mm x 800mm x 800mm (depends on you cable management and how long you bowden tube is. Make sure to measure all of this before tyring to make something like this.
Is this the cheapest option? Probably not... for this build you'll need to count in a price of around 700 euro's for the materials (profiles, connecting hardware, wood, a bit of paint, plexi, lights ...) So it's almost the price of a 3D printer. The advantage is that you invest in making your printers inside the enclosure better. The stable temperatures, dust free working environment, and noise reduction will make your printers able to reach new limits.
Obviously if you just want to enclose 1 printer, you would be able to do this for a way cheaper price than this enclosure with 2 printers and a material shelve on top.
As a general bill of materials (4x 2100mm 4040 profiles, 16x 745mm 4040 profiles (enclosure) 2x 1690mm 4040 profiles, 2x 745mm 4040mm profiles (door)) then bolts, T-slot Nuts, end caps,
hinges. Measurements might vary on your specific choices and measurements, so make sure to make a good drawing and double check your measurements before making something like this.
A good thing of Aluxprofiel is that they can pre-cut everything to size for you for a good price!
For materials used, check https://www.aluxprofiel.nl (dutch)
aluxprofile.com (english)
they also have a german, english, polish website
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#3Dprinting #Creality #Ender5plus
Welcome to this new series of videos (4 In total)
All about making an RTM mould to produce composite parts in a fast way.
Through these adventures I'll take you to the final result of making an RTM Fiberglass mould and making parts out of it.
RTM moulding is something I haven't done yet and always wanted to try one day. The big advantages of RTM moulding is that you get a good surface on both sides of the parts. It also makes it possible to produce parts in a faster way, due to the fact that you don't need to apply any vacuum supply and bags. Another advantage is a reduction of waste that is created using the regular technique of VARTM resin infusion.
If you want to watch my first video again (cringe):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tosb...
If you want to watch the video where commented on my first video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU5t7...
The video series is separated in 4 Parts:
1. Finishing the master with Pattern Coat from @Easy Composites Ltd and getting it mould ready: youtu.be/D11EFSA4LUI
2. Creating the base-mould out of uni-mould tooling resin and solving some issues I had with the mould: youtu.be/DC9VLN6ON4A
3. Creating The fiberglass RTM topmould by first making a carbonfiber part out of the basemould: youtu.be/_Acy3tPRWTU
4. Creating parts with the RTM mould: youtu.be/FBTsvWmb4RM
*In Previous video's:
Back in the days (more than 7 years ago I started working with composites) At school we had a sample mould and so decided to use it to make my first steps into composites and resin infusion VARTM. Back then I was way less experienced and watching that video over again, I saw a lot of room for improvement. This is why I decided to redo this video but taking everything next level to challenge myself a bit.
I'll take you through the steps of using one of the parts (fiberglass and polyester resin) I've made back then and get everyting ready for making a new mould. First step is removing any paint that I've put back then on the part (It was a 1K rattle spraycan paint) that might cause any problems with the gelcoat. Sanding the part also made sure that any residue like dust, oil, silicones, glue was removed from the part so we could start fresh.
The mould was made using the uni-mould tooling system from Easycomposites. first a gelcoat is applied, then coupling coat with CSM chopped strand mat fiberglass, followed by the polyester tooling resin witch CSM as well. Where needed some repairs were made and finished to a high gloss
Easy lease (chemical release agent) from easy composites was used to have a good release at the end. We'll make a negative pressure mould. This will replace the usual vacuumsupply normally used in a VARTM resin infusion system. by this we save in materials (peelply, infusionmesh, vacuumbag) but more importantly we save time producing parts.
First step would be to make a first part that will define the thickness future parts will be. I decided to make a first dummy part using resin infusion with carbonfiber 2x 650g/m² twill weave. Normal procedure of a resin infusion is used. The part is infused with infusion epoxy resin (IN2) Once the part is demoulded the back of the part is finished as well using the polyester pattern coat again.
Once the part is finished it is put back in the mould and a resin channel is created by using some modeling wax. This wax sheets can be bought in different thicknesses. I picked a 1mm thickness.
A regular polyester gelcoat is applied with a spraygun followed by adding fiberglass and general purpose polyester resin with MEKP hardener. Build up a nice thickness with the chopped fiberglass mat and theresin. Do this in a few different coats with letting it fully cure inbetween. Adding to many layers in one go might complicate the process and make your resin go in an exothermal stage causing shrinkage and warping. Air channels are added around the perimeter to create the clamping pressure. Other resin in and resin out channels will have the purpose of infusing the part in a later stage. Once all done we are ready to make our first parts in the next tutorial.
In this video:
The moulds are prepared for use by using Easy Lease, ensuring a good release. Carbon Fiber is cut to be fitted in the mould. 2 layers of 650g sqm Twill weave carbonfiber is used here. Before closing the mould halves I've added some silicone adhesive to the vacuum profiles to ensure a good seal. The idea was that it would stick to the silicone profiles but not to the mould as there was release agent applied there. Oh boy was I wrong as you can see later in the video.
For all products used, check easycomposites.co.uk
they now also have a .eu website for european customers!
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#Mould #Easycomposites #Carbonfiber
Welcome to this new series of videos (4 In total)
All about making an RTM mould to produce composite parts in a fast way.
Through these adventures I'll take you to the final result of making an RTM Fiberglass mould and making parts out of it.
RTM moulding is something I haven't done yet and always wanted to try one day. The big advantages of RTM moulding is that you get a good surface on both sides of the parts. It also makes it possible to produce parts in a faster way, due to the fact that you don't need to apply any vacuum supply and bags. Another advantage is a reduction of waste that is created using the regular technique of VARTM resin infusion.
If you want to watch my first video again (cringe):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tosb...
If you want to watch the video where commented on my first video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU5t7...
The video series is separated in 4 Parts:
The video series is separated in 4 Parts:
1. Finishing the master with Pattern Coat from @Easy Composites Ltd and getting it mould ready: youtu.be/D11EFSA4LUI
2. Creating the base-mould out of uni-mould tooling resin and solving some issues I had with the mould: youtu.be/DC9VLN6ON4A
3. Creating The fiberglass RTM topmould by first making a carbonfiber part out of the basemould: youtu.be/_Acy3tPRWTU
4. Creating parts with the RTM mould: youtu.be/FBTsvWmb4RM
*In Previous video's:
Back in the days (more than 7 years ago I started working with composites) At school we had a sample mould and so decided to use it to make my first steps into composites and resin infusion VARTM. Back then I was way less experienced and watching that video over again, I saw a lot of room for improvement. This is why I decided to redo this video but taking everything next level to challenge myself a bit.
I'll take you through the steps of using one of the parts (fiberglass and polyester resin) I've made back then and get everyting ready for making a new mould. First step is removing any paint that I've put back then on the part (It was a 1K rattle spraycan paint) that might cause any problems with the gelcoat. Sanding the part also made sure that any residue like dust, oil, silicones, glue was removed from the part so we could start fresh.
The mould was made using the uni-mould tooling system from Easycomposites. first a gelcoat is applied, then coupling coat with CSM chopped strand mat fiberglass, followed by the polyester tooling resin witch CSM as well. Where needed some repairs were made and finished to a high gloss
*In this video:
Easy lease (chemical release agent) from easy composites was used to have a good release at the end. We'll make a negative pressure mould. This will replace the usual vacuumsupply normally used in a VARTM resin infusion system. by this we save in materials (peelply, infusionmesh, vacuumbag) but more importantly we save time producing parts.
First step would be to make a first part that will define the thickness future parts will be. I decided to make a first dummy part using resin infusion with carbonfiber 2x 650g/m² twill weave. Normal procedure of a resin infusion is used. The part is infused with infusion epoxy resin (IN2) Once the part is demoulded the back of the part is finished as well using the polyester pattern coat again.
Once the part is finished it is put back in the mould and a resin channel is created by using some modeling wax. This wax sheets can be bought in different thicknesses. I picked a 1mm thickness.
A regular polyester gelcoat is applied with a spraygun followed by adding fiberglass and general purpose polyester resin with MEKP hardener. Build up a nice thickness with the chopped fiberglass mat and theresin. Do this in a few different coats with letting it fully cure inbetween. Adding to many layers in one go might complicate the process and make your resin go in an exothermal stage causing shrinkage and warping. Air channels are added around the perimeter to create the clamping pressure. Other resin in and resin out channels will have the purpose of infusing the part in a later stage. Once all done we are ready to make our first parts in the next tutorial.
For all products used, check easycomposites.co.uk
they now also have a .eu website for european customers!
For more of my projects
Make sure to follow me on:
Facebook: facebook.com/MAT2COMPOSITES
Instagram: matthieu.libeert
twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Mould #Easycomposites #Carbonfiber
In this tutorial I show you how to cast a 2 part silicone mould
using @easycompositestv AS40 Addition Cure Silicone Rubber.
AS40 is a high quality 'addition cure' (platinum cure) silicone rubber for more demanding mould making applications.
Addition cure rtv silicone should be used in applications where very accurate dimensional reproduction of an original part is required such as in rapid prototyping, where higher temperature tolerance is required or where the maximum number of repetitive releases will be possible.
Our addition cure silicone has been chosen for its excellent dimension reproduction; it is incredibly low shrink and therefore can be used to make a mould for prototype parts that interconnect (like a nut and bolt) to engineering tolerances. It has excellent styrene and polyurethane resistance and a high tear strength.
Translucent Colour
AS40 is unpigmented and highly translucence, making it particularly suitable for use both in making moulds where being able to see the casting inside is helpful, and for making silicone components where its clear appearance mean it can be easily pigmented to any colour, including pure black or white, or vivid red and blue, which is not possible to achieve when using opaque silicones or those which use a pigmented catalyst as a visual indicator.
In common with all clear silicones, because both the silicone and the catalyst are clear, this does mean there is no visual indication as the catalyst is mixed into the silicone and so extra care should be taken to ensure they are thoroughly combined. In applications where the silicone does not need to be clear, a small amount of one of our liquid silicone pigments can be added to the AS40 catalyst before it is added to the silicone, thus providing a visual indication of when the catalyst is fully combined.
Vacuum Level for Successful Degassing
To achieve its excellent properties for tear-strength, stability and longevity, AS40 does have a higher viscosity compared to less high-specification silicones. This high viscosity does tend to mean more air entrapment during mixing and also means that only very high levels of vacuum will achieve the ‘self-collapsing’ point necessary to fully degas the silicone. Situations where AS40 does not seem to fully degas under vacuum can be resolved by fixing small leaks in vacuum fittings, or by servicing worn-out vacuum pumps.
Suggested Uses
Use our AS40 Addition Cure Rubber to produce accurate moulds of complicated parts, precisely reproducing the dimensions of the original part. Completed silicone moulds can be used for repetitive casting applications, ceramics, vacuum casting and general mould making.
Advantages
Very accurate reproduction of dimensions (very low shrinkage)
Translucent
High tear strength
Styrene and PU resistant
How to Buy
Easy Composites' AS40 Addition Cure Silicone Rubber is available in four different pack sizes: 0.5kg, 1kg, 5kg and 27.5kg. All packs include the correct ratio of silicone rubber and catalyst (hardener). Please choose the pack size you want from the drop-down list.
Further Information
Mixing Ratio
100 p.b.w. Addition Cure Silicone Rubber
10 p.b.w. Addition Cure Silicone Rubber Catalyst
Brief Description of Typical Use
A part to be copied is positioned within a 'setup box' which will contain the silicone rubber whilst it cures.
The silicone rubber is thoroughly mixed with its catalyst at the correct ratio and then placed in a de-gassing chamber to remove any air trapped within the mixed silicone. If a de-gassing chamber is not available it might be possible to satisfactorily de-gas the silicone using the 'stretch pour' method (see accompanying datasheet for more info).
Once the silicone has been de-gassed it is carefully poured into a single place at the bottom of the setup box (to avoid accidental aeration) and once the setup box is full of rubber the whole box is placed in the vacuum chamber to de-gas again. The silicone will cure at room temperature in 24hrs or can be cured at an elevated temperature to hasten then cure (see accompanying datasheet).
Compatibility Information - Dos and Don'ts
Although by no means an exhaustive list, the mould materials, pigments and additives listed below have all been tested and are known to work well with AS40 Addition Cure Silicone.
Compatible Moulds
Almost all Plastic moulds*
Metal moulds
Addition Cure Silicone moulds with a release agent
Compatible Pigments
RTV Silicone Colour Pigment (for vivid opaque colours)
Translucent Tinting Pigment (for less vivid opaque colours)
Compatible Fillers
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Make sure to follow me on:
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#Mould #Easycomposites #silicone
Welcome to this new series of videos (4 In total)
All about making an RTM mould to produce composite parts in a fast way.
Through these adventures I'll take you to the final result of making an RTM Fiberglass mould and making parts out of it.
RTM moulding is something I haven't done yet and always wanted to try one day. The big advantages of RTM moulding is that you get a good surface on both sides of the parts. It also makes it possible to produce parts in a faster way, due to the fact that you don't need to apply any vacuum supply and bags. Another advantage is a reduction of waste that is created using the regular technique of VARTM resin infusion.
If you want to watch my first video again (cringe):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tosb...
If you want to watch the video where commented on my first video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU5t7...
The video series is separated in 4 Parts:
The video series is separated in 4 Parts:
1. Finishing the master with Pattern Coat from @Easy Composites Ltd and getting it mould ready: youtu.be/D11EFSA4LUI
2. Creating the base-mould out of uni-mould tooling resin and solving some issues I had with the mould: youtu.be/DC9VLN6ON4A
3. Creating The fiberglass RTM topmould by first making a carbonfiber part out of the basemould: youtu.be/_Acy3tPRWTU
4. Creating parts with the RTM mould: youtu.be/FBTsvWmb4RM
*In Previous video's:
Back in the days (more than 7 years ago I started working with composites) At school we had a sample mould and so decided to use it to make my first steps into composites and resin infusion VARTM. Back then I was way less experienced and watching that video over again, I saw a lot of room for improvement. This is why I decided to redo this video but taking everything next level to challenge myself a bit.
I'll take you through the steps of using one of the parts (fiberglass and polyester resin) I've made back then and get everyting ready for making a new mould. First step is removing any paint that I've put back then on the part (It was a 1K rattle spraycan paint) that might cause any problems with the gelcoat. Sanding the part also made sure that any residue like dust, oil, silicones, glue was removed from the part so we could start fresh.
*In this video:
Easy lease (chemical release agent) from easy composites was used to have a good release at the end. In this video I'll use the uni-mould tooling system from easycomposites. It's a 3 part system to make moulds consisting out of a gelcoat, coupling coat, tooling resin.
The gelcoat (black) was applied by brush. Mix your gelcoat with hardener MEKP in a ratio between 1%-2% depending on your wishes. Temperatures and amount mixed might cause the gelcoat to cure faster or slower. a general rule is to mix 600g/m² area to cover. So if necessary mix it in 2 batches to have enough time to apply it properly in a thin layer over your entire mould.
The second coat to apply is the Coupling coat. The coupling coat will make sure you have a good bond between your gelcoat and tooling coat that will follow after this layer. About the same amount of the gelcoat that you've used before is mixed with 1-2 percent of MEKP hardener. Use a 100g chopped strand to cover the entire mould with the coupling coat resin. Use a roller to evenly spread the resin, remover airbubbles and tightly fix it to your gelcoat.
After the coupling coat is cured but still tacky you can proceed to the next step using the tooling resin. The way you apply it is the same as using the coupling coat. The few differences are the amount that you'll need and the chopped fiber reinforcement (400g/m²) apply 3-4 coats over your entire mould and let it cure. Work in small areas you'll focus on to avoid having your resin go in an exothermal reaction.
Once the mould was made, I was a bit dissapointed with the result. I had a few wrinkles but everything was fixed using the following steps. Fix your gelcoat mistakes (watch seperate video on my channel) To fix the big area Glass Cast 50 was used and poured over the entire surface after making the mouldbox.
Once done you can sand and polish the mould to a high gloss. Ideally using 400P,600P,800P,1000P sanding grit (depends on personal preferences) Then polish the mould. Apply release agent and your ready to start making your parts.
For all products used, check easycomposites.co.uk
they now also have a .eu website for european customers!
For more of my projects
Make sure to follow me on:
Facebook: facebook.com/MAT2COMPOSITES
Instagram: matthieu.libeert
twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Mould #Easycomposites #Carbonfiber
The system I've picked was the Rust-Oleum Epoxy Shield 5200 Ultra.
Important note: Not all floors are equal! my floor had a medium porosity without any treatment so far. So dust was kept coming of it and I wasn't able to clean the floor in a nice way without having the water saturating the concrete itself. Due to that fact measurements can vary on the porosity, roughness, material lost during process.
- For 35 square metres: 5L rustoleum cleaner degreaser, 5L rustoleum primer sealer, 8L rustoleum Epoxy Shield 5200 Ultra
Important note: I'm not a specialist in floor coatings, in this video I just explain how it worked out well for me using these products and the Rust-Oleum guidelines. If you need more specific information on products contact a Rust-oleum specialist.
The workflow is the following:
- Clean your floor from any loose chunks of concrete. You can fill holes and cracks using Rustoleum concrete repair products. If you have any grease on your floor try cleaning that first.
- Vacuum clean your floor dry
- Use some water with a bit of soap to remove any dust left
- Use a wet vacuum cleaner to remove any dirty water from the dust that is left in the porosity of your floor or cracks
- Use Epoxyshield cleaner/degreaser 5l for 35 square metres worked for me.
Clean thoroughly with a brush and remove all excess water
- Clean again with clean water
- Let the concrete fully dry (I've waited 48h) this is important to have a good bond with the epoxyshield primer or sealer and to avoid any problems later on.
- Apply the epoxyshield sealer. Do your corners first with a brush, then use a roller to do the rest of the floor. Work in a 0-90 degrees pattern to fully cover your floor.
- Let it cure over night. If you want, you can add a second layer as a finishing layer. 5 litres were used for 35 square metres
- Stir the epoxyshield 5200 Ultra. This is a 1 component ready to use product. No hardeners or catalyst is needed. Apply like the sealer that was used before. Let it cure for 6 hours and you can apply the second layer in the same way as before. Let it fully dry over night and enjoy your workshop floor. Keep in mind that the paint is fully dry after 7 days, so avoid heavy loads on the floor before a week.
For more of my projects
Make sure to follow me on:
Facebook: facebook.com/MAT2COMPOSITES
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web: mat2composites.com
#Workshop #Garage #Rustoleum
Welcome to this new series of videos (4 In total)
All about making an RTM mould to produce composite parts in a fast way.
Through these adventures I'll take you to the final result of making an RTM Fiberglass mould and making parts out of it.
RTM moulding is something I haven't done yet and always wanted to try one day. The big advantages of RTM moulding is that you get a good surface on both sides of the parts. It also makes it possible to produce parts in a faster way, due to the fact that you don't need to apply any vacuum supply and bags. Another advantage is a reduction of waste that is created using the regular technique of VARTM resin infusion.
If you want to watch my first video again (cringe):
youtube.com/watch?v=0tosbURJY0Q
If you want to watch the video where commented on my first video:
youtube.com/watch?v=QU5t71fdrFI&t=280s
The video series is separated in 4 Parts:
1. Finishing the master with Pattern Coat from @Easy Composites Ltd and getting it mould ready: youtu.be/D11EFSA4LUI
2. Creating the base-mould out of uni-mould tooling resin and solving some issues I had with the mould: youtu.be/DC9VLN6ON4A
3. Creating The fiberglass RTM topmould by first making a carbonfiber part out of the basemould: youtu.be/_Acy3tPRWTU
4. Creating parts with the RTM mould: youtu.be/FBTsvWmb4RM
In this video:
Back in the days (more than 7 years ago I started working with composites) At school we had a sample mould and so decided to use it to make my first steps into composites and resin infusion VARTM. Back then I was way less experienced and watching that video over again, I saw a lot of room for improvement. This is why I decided to redo this video but taking everything next level to challenge myself a bit.
In the first video I'll take you through the steps of using one of the parts (fiberglass and polyester resin) I've made back then and get everyting ready for making a new mould. First step is removing any paint that I've put back then on the part (It was a 1K rattle spraycan paint) that might cause any problems with the gelcoat. Sanding the part also made sure that any residue like dust, oil, silicones, glue was removed from the part so we could start fresh.
First I add 2 layers of pattern coat from easy composites by brush. The pattern coat (polyester mixture) is mixed with 2% of MEKP hardener (might be more or less, depending on ambient temperatures in the workshop)
Brush strokes and drips aren't a big problem here. The pattern coat is easy sandable and the main purpose of these first layers is to seal the surface and smoothen it as well by filling any possible scratches, pinholes in the polyester fiberglass master.
After letting these two first layers cure it is time to sand the part. You don't need to sand it to a high finish as you still want to have some mechanical bond for the layers that will follow. I've used a 150P grit and 240Pgrit.
After cleaning the part it is placed on a baseboard that will give us the flanges of the mould in a later process while making the mould.
To attach the part on the melamine board I've used some polyester putty bondo and smoothened out the edge with a ball tool to create a nice transition. The bondo is then quickly sanded to remove the skin on top of it.
The 3th layer of Pattern coat is then sprayed on to create a nice even coat. To spray the Patterncoat I've just added a bit of blue pigment to the grey. Some acetone is used to make the pattern coat a bit more easy to spray.
by having the blue added the patterncoat will be a bit of a differnt color, making it easier to see if you are sanding to deep in that last coat.
The pattern is now sanded up to 800P Grit and polished to a high gloss.
Be aware that the pattern coat is not designed for mirror high gloss finish. If you are looking that you can add a last layer of gloss coat, the same way the 3the coat was applied, making it possible to polish the part then up to a higher gloss.
Once all of the above is done the mould can be prepared by adding sides and having the corner smoothened out with filleting wax and the ball tool.
For all products used, check easycomposites.co.uk
they now also have a .eu website for european customers!
For more of my projects
Make sure to follow me on:
Facebook: facebook.com/MAT2COMPOSITES
Instagram: matthieu.libeert
twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Mould #Easycomposites #Carbonfiber
Here's a quick video about repairing moulds.
This is a separate video out of a RTM mouldmaking series that will be uploaded later on!
The main reason I decided to make this video, is because mostly when you look online you'll only see good results. Now and then a mould can fail, and I'm not ashamed of it! It's part of the game, instead of being frustraded it gives you an opportunity to try out new things and be creative in some ways.
In this video I've used the uni-tool moulding system from @easycompositestv make sure to check their channel out for more content and have a look on their website http://www.easycomposites.co.uk for european customers, they now also have a .eu website.
Products used in this tutorial are the permagrit rotary cutting tool, tooling gelcoat, mouldcleaner, MW1 Wax, Mekp hardener, some brushes and miscellaneous products like tapes, brushes, acetone, mixing cups, ...
If you have mould with defects on the gelcoat side, best practice in my personal opinion is to sand down the area to repair, make so scoring marks with a dremel and a permagrit cutting tool. Then clean and degrease followed by mixing a small amount of gelcoat, mixed with MW1 wax and mekp hardener. Then apply in a generous way and sand back to flat state. After sanding you can polish everything and you're ready to go!
#easycomposites #mould #gelcoat
Glad to be back!
In this video I give you a small introduction video with the assembly of my Creality Ender 5 Plus 3D printer. In the meanwhile I bought 3 of these printer to integrate 3D printing in my composites work. Mostly I'll be using these printers to create tools and parts to improve my composites workflow.
In future video's you'll see me finish 3d prints to working prototypes, make an enclosure for 3D printers using T-slot aluminium profiles. Use 3D printing to make tooling for carbon fiber work. Use 3D printing for silicone moulds and low volume manufacturing for casting epoxy and polyurethane parts.
As these series will be runing over the next few years, make sure to comment what your questions are and what you would like to see me do next.
In the tutorials you'll see me use a Creality Ender 5 Plus printer. I'm not saying this is the best printer in general you can find on the market, but the main focus for me was the large build volume. As saying this, I have to say that after leveling the bed properly and doing a good amount of finetuning with the settings, I'm getting some very good results. By saying this I would recommend buying this 3D printer.
As by now I'm only using PLA fillament, for future video's I'll be more than happy to try other fillaments as well
I bought this printer locally in Belgium on 3dprinthings.be here in Belgium.
00:00 Introduction what to expect
01:24 about Creality ender 5 Plus
03:11 what to expect in the next video
#3d #3d printing #creality
New tutorials coming including silicone casting, RTM production, 3d printing parts and moulds and many more!
Track: THYKIER - Station 2 [NCS10 Release]
Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds.
Watch: youtu.be/AssxzJCFl24
Free Download / Stream: ncs.io/Station2
Forged Carbon Fiber - Chopped Fibers (PART1 Testplate & Thoughts)
youtu.be/Vz51kPmAPeE
Forged Carbon Fiber - Chopped Fibers (PART2 Result & New experiment)
youtu.be/-wzMl8RZ_4M
Forged Carbon Fiber - Chopped Fibers (PART3 New Samples & Break Samples )
youtu.be/ZgtDirhlGtc
Let me know If I need to make a 2020 version of this project in the comments!
I don't think I need to say much more than in the video! If you have some comments or requests you can leave it in the comments down below and I'll answer them!
If you want to re-watch that original video here's the link:
youtu.be/dn_xmEIiGQU
First step is to glue the puzzle on a backing. We are using a melamine board as a base. We will use some IN2 epoxy resin to glue the cardboard puzzle on. I've used some 390g/m² fiberglass cut to shape and the saturated with the resin. The film of epoxy resin and fiberglass is now positioned on the plate and serves as a "prepreg" glue film we can position the puzzles on. To bond the puzzle on that epoxy film in a good way we are using vacuum to press the pieces into the wet epoxy film. After 24 hours you can demould your sheet with the puzzle glued on.
Next step will be to prepare the mouldbox. I've used melamine again with some release agent on to ensure a good demoulding later on. Make sure your mould box is leak-free to avoid problems later on.
First layer to saturate the cardboard puzzle is the Glasscast 10, Make sure to mix the resin well and read the product instructions on Easy Composites website. Apply a layer of epoxy on your Puzzles now and you'll see the cardboard sucking up some resin and fully saturate the Puzzle. This will avoid having some troubles later on with airbubbles.
Second layer is the Glasscast 50. Make sure to mix the A & B component very well before pouring. Now you can just pour your layer on top of the Glasscast 10 while the resin is still not fully cured (about 8 hours at 20°C)
The Glasscast 50 is self degassing meaning airbubbles will raise over time and pop on the surface. If you still have some airbubbles you can remove them over time. Make sure not to overheat your surface with a torch as it might cause some problems to your finish.
Last layer is the Glasscast 3, Glasscast 3 is used to add a high gloss self leveling surface. Make sure to sand your part first after having the part being fully cured (I've waited 3 days) Before applying make sure your surface is flat and clean and apply the resin. The resin will self level. Make sure to let it cure in a stable environment (temperature and humidity level)
You are done and you can hang your puzzle on the wall!
For all the products used and more information check the Easy Composites Website!
For more of my projects Make sure to follow me on:
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Instagram: matthieu.libeert
twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#Puzzle #Epoxy #Casting
youtu.be/ZgtDirhlGtc
In this video you can see and hear the sound of carbon fiber breaking under high stress. I've put a plate of VARTM, resin infused carbon fiber under high stress in the hydrolic press with a microphone close to it.
If you missed previous video’s you can watch them here:
Forged Carbon Fiber - Chopped Fibers (PART1 Testplate & Thoughts)
youtu.be/Vz51kPmAPeE
Forged Carbon Fiber - Chopped Fibers (PART2 Result & New experiment)
youtu.be/-wzMl8RZ_4M
I made two samples with VARTM, Resin infusion. One being the carbon fiber veil 300g/m² with chopped carbon fiber, the other one being 4 times a 650/m² twill weave. That way I ended up with two samples of 8cm by 30cm with a thickness of 3mm each.
By adding weight I compared multiplex wood with the chopped fiber and veil with the 650g regular twill weave carbon fiber as well.
The results will be posted in a later video explaining everything in detail what happened. I have to tell I knew from the start we were going to end with a result like this. Fiber Orientation is key in a setup like this. The twill weave will have a 0-90 orientation with the plywood as well. The chopped and veil will have a multi-directional short strand orientation, resulting in less strength over the length of the part. At the end of the video you see mee put the samples to extreme stress till they break.
For more of my projects Make sure to follow me on:
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twitter: @matthieutje65
web: mat2composites.com
#forged #carbon #fiber #easycomposites


