Mouldless Carbon Fibre Technique for One-Off and Prototype Components
Project page for further info ►www.easycomposites.co.uk/lear...
In this composites video tutorial we cover the simplest and lowest cost method for creating an original moulded carbon fibre (CFRP) component. To minimise materials and cost, the process avoids the need for a well-finished pattern or female mould by laminating the carbon fibre and resin directly onto a shaped XPS foam pattern. The carbon fibre is then overcoated with additional layers of epoxy resin before the surface is flatted and polished to a smooth finish. Once the surface is good, the polystyrene foam is removed from the inside of the component.
This method is not without its disadvantages but for prototypes and one-off components, especially where budgets or equipment are constrained - such as many school (Greenpower) and university race (Formula Student, Eco-Marathon etc.) teams - this method can yield acceptable quality components whilst minimising cost, waste and time.
Most of the tools and equipment used in the tutorial are available from Easy Composites and are listed on the video's Project Page in our Learning Area:
UK and World ► www.easycomposites.co.uk/lear...
EU ► www.easycomposites.eu/learnin...
Man, what this guy is teaching us for free is almost criminal. You can't put a price on this knowledge.
Thanks Paull, appreciate your support 👍
@@easycompositestv Appreciate your videos.
Straight up. I accidentally watched a bunch of these videos and here I am with 3 kinds of resin, rubber making mold, chopped carbon and thanks to the compression mold videos, trying to bloody learn FreeCAD so I can invert a mug coaster to produce a compression mold lmao. I'll be a goddamn pro once I make it to motorbike fairings.
Fuck seriously. I love this channel
I called the cops
This channel is full of some of the finest composite instruction on the web. Thank you for working so hard to educate not only your customers, but the whole world!
Glad you enjoy it!
Yes this channel is like a whole tutorial and whenever i need info my first thought is to come here!
Yes
kzhead.info/tools/GgUFs0JWrBSLdnzakG-pJA.html
Indeed! Thank you so much for these videos! 💙
This is encouraging for me to watch. I would feel discouraged in the early stages, seeing the various ripples and imperfections. So it's great to see how you work through it to get a good result.
Thanks Fredy, yes, you're right, this is a case of 'sticking with it' until it comes good. Although the finished product isn't *perfect* by a moulded component standard, it does finish up to still be a well finished and highly presentable component, especially for one-off or prototype projects.
i love the fact that you also show and talk about the flaws on the part and not try to hide it
Glad you enjoyed the video!
This channel is what makes me want to make CF parts for everything I own. It's not that the marketing is good, it's that it is very honest in the simple things that a beginner might face. Very professional. No BS. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed the video, hopefully you do try out some of the processes!
I've been watching these tutorials for years, using your products for years, and remain in awe of the quality and generosity of product and service you guys consistently deliver. Keep up the great work!
Glad you like them! and thanks for the compliment.
Never fail in interesting videos. Keep it going!
Thanks Justaine, we appreciate the support.
No doubt. Impeccable and inspirational content.
Your thumbnail was incredibly effective in getting me to watch this video - even though your content is already top notch. The prototype you have created here looks incredible. Thanks again for such fantastic and inspirational content.
I have built two composite airplanes using fiberglass. Your instructions were spot on! I especially like the use of peel ply, which I use now on all my projects. The major thing I learned is: more epoxy just adds weight. Lightly draw epoxy from the layer underneath by stippling with the end of the brush. Also, using a hair dryer to warm the layup helps the epoxy flow better. Get the fibers wet, but no extra. I always use slow-cure resin. It takes a couple of days to cure.
I love these videos so much. I always think of a ton of ideas for my own projects when I see how these processes are implemented.
kzhead.info/tools/GgUFs0JWrBSLdnzakG-pJA.html
You've been with this company for years. An excellent teacher for composites.👍
Thanks a lot, appreciate your support and custom 👍
Oh my! If there was one video I absolutely needed to see at this time it is this. Almost exactly what I needed to know and a shell that is so close to what I am actually constructing - And all done with a minimum of materials and facilities - exactly my situation (I dearly hope I can also do a beautiful job of it too). You have given me hope and confidence that I can complete my project using this method. Already I was relieved to find that I had done everything almost right so far, even the choice of weave and lay-up steps. Thank you so much.
This tutorial came at the perfect time! Building a car at school for FSAE competition and needed to make the nose cone with limited funds. Thank you!
Hi Matthew, that's great to hear. Yes, we supply lots of schools and unis and this video was very much aimed at them in order to explain a process that can keep costs and complexity under control, especially when teams/classes are more time rich and resource poor. This would certainly be a good and viable process for a nosecone. Good luck with your project.
Is the CF not $$$. Is GF not cheaper / easier to work with? Genuine question.
I will also make a nose cone for the Formula Student Germany competition. Would you mind to share your experiences?
Oh wow, so this is similar to the technique our glider team used to make our flying wing glider so long ago. I didn't know it was called moldless. We used a hot wire to cut the wing shape from foam, then carefully put various composites on the foam for the leading and trailing edges for impact resistance and stiffness respectively. Every time I watch a video tutorial from Easy Composites, I learn something new. These videos from Easy Composites are so educational and so perfectly paced, and are among the very best tutorials anywhere on KZhead.
Thanks Sanjay, appreciate your feedback. Yes, there's nothing new about this process, it's just a method that's often overlooked and so we wanted to explain it and demonstrate it so that viewers have another method they can consider for their projects.
I used to make custom car parts ( consoles and door panels etc.) like this 20 years ago for car audio projects . Great video and craftsmanship .
we need easy composites distributed here in the USA. id much rather order from you guys than rockwest or some other alternative because of the education you provide to your customers. please expand to our shores.
We can ship most our products direct with shipping by courier.
Great video as always Paul, we've learned so much for you and even though we've been making composites for many years now there are always new things to pick up on!
Glad to help
Excellent video! I started watching your videos when I was participating in Shell Eco Marathon 2015. That was 8 years ago and I never missed a video from you guys ever since !
Thanks Bibin, that’s really great to hear. Thanks for sticking with us, and composites!
I soaked up every second of this great tutorial! Very inspiring for the r/c modelbuilder enthusiast!
I've watched several of your videos. These are excellent. They make a tough job a lot easier to formulate in my mind. And your step by step explanation gives me confidence I can do this too.
Glad you like them!
Hi, I just want to say how incredibly interesting and useful ALL your videos are; time and again I have a particular aspect of small scale, perhaps "hobbyist" type composite projects I want to investigate a bit further and I've done a quick search on KZhead and virtually every time you guys are the source of the most professionally produced, most informative and generally the best content relevant to what I've searched. I've never actually taken the plunge and done any yet mind you, but hopefully one day I shall, and if and when I manage to do anything I can confidently state your videos are going to be of great help to me!!! Thanks again!!!
We really appreciate the kind comment John, when you do take the plunge if you do have any other questions we'd be more than happy than to assist.
Wow, you have amazing freehand modeling skills! The shape looks perfect, I couldn't tell that was made freehand. Another throughout informative video sa usual, thank you for all the work you put into teaching us your techniques!
Thanks Jan, you’re welcome. Yes, this hand shaping came out better than I was expecting to be honest. In real life it actually looks better than on screen too!
kzhead.info/tools/GgUFs0JWrBSLdnzakG-pJA.html
I've helped make 6 high mileage cars using this method. For most of them, we cut all the layers by hand, stacked them and then sanded it to shape. Then to make the shape even better, we added drywall compound and then sanded that perfectly smooth. The last step is to cover it with clear food wrap (ceran wrap) and clear packaging tape. Our final car was 11 lbs for just the shell and it was 120" long. Some areas were only 1 or 2 layers of 3k thick.
Paul has done it again. Beautiful job market ready composites ever easier. Back to the basic, i like that. Very inspirational video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Yo, this is my first time watching your channel and in mark 12:04 you can see the siloette of Frederick Douglas. I kid you not. LOL!!! So I'll leave his quote right here: "Without struggle, their is no progress". Continue to do what you love, the process and the progression will lead you to greatness. 💯💯👍🏽
I might not be seeing the silhouette but I can't argue with the quote!
You make this stuff look easy. I've work resins and some fiberglass and I found it really difficult to get nice looking results. Your finished part looked fantastic. Thanks for another great video.
Thanks for the comments Duane. There’s certainly a reasonable degree of practice and experience to this. To be honest, for a completely freestyle shaped pattern, even we were surprised by the trueness of the finished shape; it did go well. But for sure this process will yield a half-decent result no matter what your level of skill.
@@easycompositestv i always use to question the strength and rigidity of a part made of several small patches vs a part made of big layers that cover the part!! I know it depends on what is practically possible but would love to know your thoughts!
Very well explained and shown! I have used this very same method over 30 years ago and still happen to use it for some one-off projects! One slight difference, I use a denser foam which allows me to skip the peel-ply step entirely. Of course thumbs up, and keep up the good work!
Which type of foam do you use?
@@jannickgielen8428 the yellow or blue foam, depending on where you're located in the world it might be a different color. The One I use is yellow and is sold in the construction section as insulation panels. Hope it helps you.
This is soooooo encouraging! Thank you for uploading. I've been thinking about making fun-chairs for my kids out of wood & fiberglass+epoxy, but moulds or even vaccum bagging are out of my project scope. This way I can make the internal form/rough shape out of wood, Layer the fiberglass+epoxy without adding the release film, finish the outside with bondo+paint+clear coat and simply leave the wood form within. Its gotta be Strong and last a long long time!
I can only image how many projects you’ve inspired undertaking thanks to the knowledge and confidence you’ve shared….easily thousands worldwide. Thank you so much and I hope life is giving lots and lots of warm hugs. 🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼🍀🍀🍀🤓
Thank you Steve, we certainly like to think we’re making a contribution to inspiring people to take on projects and maybe even launch the odd business or two. We have a number of customers now who are established composites businesses where it started with a phone call about a simple project they had in mind!
I love this method, great work👍
Thanks Salah, you're welcome.
Awesome shape you have here. I have been doing this for many years. Packing tape lays down very smoothly as a release as well. I wax the package tape once applied. It releases very well. I'll try your method. Also I would pop the bubbles when applying resin with a heat gun. A Dremmel with a diamond disc is my cutter of choice. Well done video and awesome project! Thanks
Thanks for the feedback. Packing tape is another option definitely (I think we mentioned it in the video?). I've never wax the tape as well but I can imagine this could aid the release further. As for popping bubbles, this really depends on the resin you're using. The XCR resin is extremely good at expelling trapped air but a heat gun would certainly be beneficial if you're using a resin that doesn't have this property.
@@easycompositestv Hair dryer or heat gun will lower the viscosity and allow the air to rise and give the part a smoother finish.
I discovered your KZhead Chanel while daydreaming of building a boat. Now I can't help but wonder how many layers I would need with honeycomb cores. My goodness, I have to get my mind back on work... Thanks for the excellent and most informative videos!
By far the KZhead’s most inspirational and impeccable content for creators. Their website is phenomenal as well. I am dreaming of the day we employ their art within our projects.
Thanks very much and also thanks for checking out our site. We work hard on this content, and the info on the site so it’s great to hear it’s appreciated 😀
The release film is such a good idea. Thank you! Question: do you use a solvent to clean the sanding dust off between the grits of sandpaper when working on the coating resin?
Hi, no, we wouldn't use a solvent to clean off sanding dust; there would be no advantage to solvent over a damp cloth. Solvents only help when you need to dissolve something (like grease). Sanding dust will wipe off just fine.
@@easycompositestv Thanks again for your great content
Something that might be really effective for form analysis on the fly is alternating black and white sheets of EPS. I expect you could get the surface really fair by eye just by walking around it just like carving small parts out of plywood.
Hi, yes, that's a very interesting idea. I think only actually trying it would reveal whether it helps (as it might) or actually makes it harder to see the overall form.
@@easycompositestv Using XPS of EPS and benefiting from its finer structure, or PU foam, but both might be harder to get out mechanically, would be my guess. But probably also more expensive.
@@easycompositestv You're probably right regarding sculpting an original free form shape (especially a quite small one) but I'm thinking more about the fairness of a compound curved surface that you're translating from a smaller model or cad model (by hand/eye) that will have a glossy finish etc. some cad surfacing packages have a similar evaluation feature built in.. like you say though, best to test it out. I haven't tried it :)
A HUGE thank you!!! I had never considered using a release film and peal ply on a foam form. I always imagined I would be scraping the foam residue away. Awesome!! Perhaps your most beneficial video to date (for my needs) though I continue to look forward to the next one!! Much appreciated!
Even though its not exactly a high-tech or new concept, we still try to find and includes tips and tricks to make the processes more simple and to achieve the optimal results.
what an awesome and comprehensive tutorial... made me feel like I could carbon fibre anything :)
Using long battens with self-stick sandpaper is an old trick for getting smooth curves.
Which tool do you mean?
Usually called a longboard (at least in boatbuilding circles) :) Can be as simple as Robert says, a batten or fairly thin strip of wood, with sandpapper on it, preferably with some form of handles. There are some really nice ones out there to buy, even powered ones, Flexi sander or something like that. It's usually a 2 or more hand tool. When I worked as a boatbuilder we sometimes used a 3 person/6 hand longboard, for example when we faired big plugs/forms for yacht hulls.
5:40 Instead of trying to manually extract the foam, would it be an idea to use acetone as a solvent? You might be able to forgo the release film this way, as acetone dissolves polystyrene. Although I am not sure whether or not that would affect the resin used for the carbon fiber. edit: Never mind, mentioned later in the video.
at least the resins i used so far were not affected by acetone, but as it dissolves other substances and as it then evaporates it leaves a nasty mixture of residue on the surface of the part that is not impossible to clean, but it takes some time with more acetone :D
Acetone definitely works. But you do end up with a sludge that reminds one of (but is not!) Napalm B. Then it dries into nasty-looking hard crystals which have to be broken out. If you use gasoline to dissolve the foam you're probably a bit closer to true Napalm B. Either way, icky stuff. When not using peel ply it generally goes we mechanically remove the bulk of the foam. Then whatever doesn't come easy with knives and scrapers we start successive layers sloshing acetone around and quickly scooping/wiping to extract the sludge.
As said in the video, although you can use solvents, it leaves a lot of mess to clean up and dispose of.
So impressive watching pro's at work. So neat, fantastic skills, inspirational to all the budding innovators out there!
We really appreciate the kind comment!
My favorite channel by far. Always excellent knowledge.
Thanks! We have more videos being recorded which should soon be uploaded. I hope you enjoy them as much!
Is there anything you guys can't do?
non composite materials maybe
Love this channel! I have no idea why the craft of composites is so intriguing to me
Appreciate the support!
I never would have guessed this process with the release film creases would work as amazingly well like that. Even the ripples look cool :) Thanks for the video!
Glad you enjoyed the video Dejay!
First video from the channel and I subscribed right away! Incredible information and teaching, I highly appreciate it
Glad you got something from it and thanks for subscribing!
Good Lord, you are thorough. That combined with your honesty add up to inspiration. Thank you.
As all ways much appreciate what you all do giving us this well put together free content. Wish this was around many years ago even if it was paid.
Thanks James, appreciate the feedback. Sorry if we came along a bit late for what you're doing but it sounds like you're still enjoying seeing what we're up to :).
You guys need to come to the states! Thanks a lot for the great videos!
This is amazing! This will be super useful. I can’t wait to try it.
Another thorough and thoroughly entertaining video. Thanks Paul and the team.
Cheers (Justin?), glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
These videos are just brilliant, even though I’m in Australia I will one day order from Easy Composites because of the quality of the content you guys keep putting out!
Glad you like them!
Absolutely amazing tutorial. This helps explain why carbon fibre parts are just so expensive. The amount of work even in this simplified method is unbelievable.
Glad you enjoyed!
Best way to sell is just keep making amazing things. Brilliant stuff, Paul
I legitimately learned how to prototype except designing in Fusion, pretty much start to finish, from this dude. Great company, extraordinarily helpful and informative videos, and easily digested concepts. My next goal is the Forged Carbon Fiber part. Just hoping shipping to the US isn't going to be a pain.
Hi Kyle, thanks, that's really great to hear. I hope you enjoy your foray into the forged carbon fibre process, we've seen some really interested projects that people have successfully realised using this process so I think you'll get a lot out of it. Agreed on the US shipping; shipping generally (globally) is getting more expensive and more delay prone but hopefully your experience will be a relatively painless one!
Wow! You guys are amazing! I just found out about this channel and I simply had to watch everything in one sitting. Now I just have to find a way to get some of your products here in Serbia, since I have seen on your website that the customs impose some restrictions. Keep on with great videos, your company sets an example to others of what a good PR looks like!
Hi Aleksander, we appreciate the support and kind feedback! We can ship to Serbia from our UK premises, although as you've pointed out the order would pass through customs. We do have information when buying internationally here; www.easycomposites.co.uk/delivery-information, although if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to email us at Sales@Easycomposites.com.
Outstanding video. Thank you for taking the time to make this. It will help me with a project. Thumbs up and subscribed.
Finally the video I've been waiting for, as this is how I've needed to do a couple projects.
Great, great to hear if this helps you with your project.
This is amazing. I used to hand lay fiberglass in the 90’s and any info on carbon fiber was protected like secret family recipes by industry insiders. I always suspected it would be very similar to hand lay carbon. Lots of helpful tips in here. Now I’m just trying to think of what my first carbon project will be!
We were one of the first companies to openly share a lot of the processes as it was often keep a closely guarded commercial secret in many industries.
Thank you very much , for this very informative and step by step build video and the best I've seen lately.
Really appreciate the kind comment!
Best composites channel on KZhead hands down!
Wow, thanks, that's very high praise. We'll try to continue to live up to it :)
A free masterclass... big thanks!!!
Wish I had a teacher like you in my youth....
I'm watching the video as 1 day I hope to mould up a trike body for some human powered vehicle racing. I clicked on the video and immediately fell in love as what you are making in a few hours is pretty near exactly what I want to build. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed the video Alan! If you do try this out and require any advice please let us know!
GREAT TIP regarding the gray foam and it's suitability for work in a video, YOU are correct because the white is SO BRIGHT, it throws the camera metering system off, typically it appears like it's blurry it is so bright.
Such a good video, I appreciate it. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS COMPANY, they are by far giving the best educational content out there on this subject - and their products are all top quality.
Thanks for the positive views and support.
your channel is a treasure trove of useful and interesting information 😌
I have made several molds in this general concept for my experimental airplane, you demonstrated some clever improvements, thanks for saving me much experimental time! Also, having all my experience in glass, this is confidence building for making some carbon reinforcement projects in my near future. Super well done! BTW I really hate all the sanding, but that vacuum tool is the best.
Appreciate the comment and kind feedback Bill!
This video couldn't have come at a better time as I want to make a top box for my Motorbike, thanks very much
That’s great to hear that you have a project in mind for this process Rob. Hope it goes well and of course if you need materials for it then you know where we are 👍
very thoroughly and well explained bro..... hats off from INDIA
Exactly the process tutorial I needed. Many thanks
You’re welcome Samuel, glad it came along at the right time for you.
So much better than the hyper edited silent tutorials that plague KZhead!
Appreciate the comment, thanks Juan!
Never knew about using a release film/peel ply with this method but it makes total sense. Thanks!
Thanks Evan, the process in itself isn't a new one but hopefully some of our hints and tips might really help out :-)
Thank you so much guys. Another super fantastic video with a lot of great tip & trick. 🙏
Amazing tutorial! Thanks a lot for the effort producing it!
Glad you enjoyed!
Brilliant training, tips and techniques - and the products are great too
Thanks for watching and commenting! We really appreciate the support :)
Excellent. Just what I needed. Thanks.
Free knowledge and skill + interaction with a lot of comments, sub instantly even though this is the 1st time I saw anything regarding carbon fiber fabricating, and now is eagerly want to try even without any prior interest
Thanks ckc019 - there are plenty of ways to get in touch with us as well if you wish to discuss any projects or materials. You can find our contact details on the www.easycomposites.co.uk contact page :-)
Thank you for these videos! I want to build a boat hull without the cost of constructing molds. Release film and peel ply on foam is brilliant.
Cheers Tim, no worries. Sounds like an interesting project. I wish you all the best with it and be sure to get in touch if we can help you with any materials for it.
Excellent demonstration !
This is good advertising! I was looking around for information on making carbon parts without vaccuum infusion and this gaves me everything. And right now i am going to order everything from the eu shop. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
a no nightmare molding process! nice!
Always thoroughly wipe any sanding dust before going with finer grade. The remaining particles of the coarser pass may introduce new scratches. Done but not highlighted, in this (excellent as usual) video. Thanks for sharing.
Superb results and the technique is excellent too.
Hi Paul! You guys leveled up yet again! The process you taught us is simply amazing. It is an excellent process for one off or prototyping indeed. It's not the case here, because it's an enclosed volume, but using this approach with MDF ribs and frames like in the ice sled would be better to keep the shape and avoid some problems you showed. Of course, if you CNC the foam there is no need of that. Have a nice day guys!
MDF Ribs wouldn't be the most straight-forward as you say with an enclosed shape like this but you could use two densities of foam as we do in our 'How to make an accurate Composites Pattern by Hand' tutorial using the EasyCell 75 sheets to make the framework and then fill those spaces with the styrofoam as here; the EasyCell75 could then simply be broken out with the rest of the foam.
Yes you can get more precision using that method or, as you suggest, CNC cutting the foam for even more precision. Glad you like the video!
easy composites 😘 such a channel. We thank you for the content.
Thanks Lula, you're welcome. Glad you're enjoying our vids.
Burt Rutan had great success with aircraft designs (Long-EZ being perhaps the most popular) using moldless construction, so the drawbacks are very manageable :)
Indeed. Light aircraft and RC model aircraft commonly use this method.
Esse é o melhor canal sobre o assunto do youtube!!!
Appreciate the kind comment, thanks Paulo!
J'adore la vidéo...merci à l'équipe easy composites.
Vous êtes les bienvenus, c'est notre plaisir. Merci d'avoir regardé.
These videos are amazing! Never stop, please. :)
Thanks Mikeal, we’ll do our best 👍
Another great video with an interesting approach for prototypes. Like it!
Glad you liked it!
These are such great videos, thank you so much!
Fantastic results 💯 handmade and complete guidelines thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
A gobsmackingly great channel. Gobsmackingly great!
Thank you very much. This video has given me some very good ideas for my project.
Glad you enjoyed the video! If you do try this out we'd love to see what you make!
11:36 - That Mirka system is a nice bit of kit. But the price - gut punch. LOL
Hi John, yes, it's 'pro' end kit. No problem to justify it if you're working regularly with these materials but a bit overkill if you're not. A regular vacuum cleaner can be hooked up to a typical DA as well. You won't get the start/stop functionality but you'll get dust free sanding (even if you do need to empty the bag more often).
i saw this being done with fiberglass over 30 years ago.. it works well
Absolutely fantastic. I'll heve to build console for my boat. Very helpful video
That's great. We're delighted if this video helps you with your project.
Bro your the man! I was thinking about this method for a one off suv roof spoiler. I’m gonna do it! Thank bro
Very informative. Thank You.
This guy makes valuable content
I really enjoy your videos! You have inspired me to give it a go myself :)
Glad we could inspire you into trying this out yourself, we'd love to see what you make!