×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Composites noob plaster mold question

Composites noob plaster mold question

Composites noob plaster mold question

(OP)
Hello all. I'm very interested in working with carbon fiber for automotive applications. My goal is to produce aesthetic and structural pieces. I think I've decided on vacuum infusion since I can't afford a large autoclave for pregreg. But before I go out and buy equipment and materials, I want to practice making molds first. I would very much like to use plaster molds versus fiberglass, but I'm not sure whether or not it is a suitable material for vacuum-infusion carbon fiber. If it is, what type would you recommend?

Any information you have would be greatly appreciated!

RE: Composites noob plaster mold question

Have you tried to obtain information from resin, prepreg and fibre suppliers.

Have you tried doing a google search.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Composites noob plaster mold question

(OP)
I've been looking for information. It seems like fiberglass is popular for molds. I don't see why plaster wouldn't work, but I've never worked with composites, let alone carbon, so I thought I would seek out people that have more experience

RE: Composites noob plaster mold question

Whether fibre glass and carbon fibre, it makes no difference to the mould.

Fibre glass moulds will be a lot lighter and stronger than plaster.

It will be difficult to get good mould release from a plaster mould, so a lot of mould release wax might be needed. This might reduce the surface gloss and therefore require more effort in the finishing of the part.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

RE: Composites noob plaster mold question

You will have reliability/structural issues using plaster as a mold. It is handy for taking a 'splash', but I always build my molds out of something more robust.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources