quote:

ORIGINAL: alanc

i machine carbon fibre parts for formula 1 race cars, i am told there are many differant grades, and weaves, and that the stuff is baked, doesnt sound the same as glass to me, but, i only machine it, not make it

Attachments

Click for fullsize

quote:

ORIGINAL: DMcQuinn

Carbon Fiber cloth can be used the same as fiberglass cloth. You can use an epoxy resin to saturate the CF cloth. Then form it into or onto some pre-waxed mold. It will cure in 6 hours or so ar room temperature (cure time depends upon the epoxy). No heat / no autoclave is required. It is really no harder than fiberglass. Once cured the part can be cut with saws, drilled with drills, etc. I have some example CF parts on my web page:
http://webpages.charter.net/mcquinn/Dave/RC/Projects/projects.htm
I have made CF spinner, prop and landing gear.

Attachments

Click for fullsize	Click for fullsize	Click for fullsize	Click for fullsize
Click for fullsize

quote:

ORIGINAL: alanc

The stuff i do is wound on a mandrel from sheet, in multiple layers, each layer being a differant density, and grain direction to the last, the tube is sometimes tapered, sometimes the shape is very much like a flashlight, i bore and trun the things for steering columns for Mclaren, and one or two others, i use the hardest of carbide, one tip edge does 1 job, on the next bore, i rough it out, and change for finish cuts, on a 5 of, i will go through about 120 dollars worth of tips, another job i do is for a bearing cage, for satelites, this stuff is WAY harder, and gives me PLENTY of grief, i am not alowed to use abrasive, to remove burred edges, to make 4 simple rings, it takes nearly 9 hours!!! then the miller has to drill the holes through with a diamond cutter--thing is, we are cutting diamond with diamond--losing battle, we win, but at a hefty cost in tooling, lot of my stuff is floating around in space now, lot of it is flaoting around various race tracks, as well

next time the guy brings me some of this grief, i will ask him how they make the stuff,

quote:

ORIGINAL: TeamSeacats

The dust will cause "black lung" as your body cannot rid itself of the dust in soft tissue. Take precautions.

quote:

ORIGINAL: alanc

It comes off as a powder, and the poster above is right, it can be drilled and sawn, just not for long, carbide is needed, or diamond for pure carbon fibre, i am no expert in the composition of the stuff, only the machining, but, if used in some model applications, if pure carbon is used, say in an undercart, then it will shatter on a hard landing, there must be other additives

sorry, cannot show the machining proccess, dont think the bosses would like it!! its not hard, just time consuming, and the cost of the parts means take your time, i just finished a simple bracket for a satellite it looked like a pawn off a chess board, it had a 2mm cored hole, weave was wound on a 2mm mandrell, the parts where 12mm diam, 40mm long, 10 off, no spares for setting, material coast was in excess of £700, not all carbon is the same, believe me!! scary thing was, the end was threaded internal for a helicoil, (carbon cannot be usably tapped out) our guy fitted the wrong helicolis, and had to take them out, trouble is, he pulled the thread out as well!! we got clearance to open up to a bigger diameter, just as well, eh!!

one thing, the dust is not cancer making, but it is unpleasant, i wear a good mask, and have very little skin exposed , dont underestimate this stuff

quote:

ORIGINAL: DMcQuinn

Carbon Fiber cloth can be used the same as fiberglass cloth. You can use an epoxy resin to saturate the CF cloth. Then form it into or onto some pre-waxed mold. It will cure in 6 hours or so ar room temperature (cure time depends upon the epoxy). No heat / no autoclave is required. It is really no harder than fiberglass. Once cured the part