3D Print to Carbon Fibre Development Kit

3D printing is finding its way into all sectors of industry and composites is no exception, this development kit has been put together in response to requests for a convenient kit that can be used to create a carbon fibre part directly from a 3D printed mould.

This kit includes top quality 210g 2/2 twill 3k carbon fibre fabric, our high performance EL2 Epoxy laminating resin, XCR coating resin, abrasives, compound, and ancillaries all of which work together and will create carbon fibre parts with good mechanical properties and cosmetic finish.

Typical Uses

This Development kit is ideally suited to anyone looking to explore this novel manufacturing process and produce functional one-off or prototype components with a great cosmetic appearance.

Use this kit to:

• Experiment with making carbon fibre products directly from printed moulds.
• Rapidly prototype components for customer evaluation prior to traditional tooling.
• Create inexpensive custom one-off and prototype parts quickly).

Dimensions

When unrolled the carbon fibre fabric is 300mm (11.8") wide and 1000mm (39.4") long.

Basic steps:

Starting with a 3D printed mould, we recommend using PETG filament, we have found this to offer an excellent balance of inherent release properties and accuracy, other print materials may well be appropriate, but test should be conducted to ensure compatibility with the process.

The mould can then be coated with PVA release agent. PVA is applied in a single coat either by wiping or brushing an even film over the mould surface.

The part can then be laminated with the carbon fibre and EL2 laminating resin, the kit also includes peel-ply which can be laid onto the back of the laminate to provide a neater finish.

After curing the part can be demoulded, the resulting part can now be trimmed and at this stage will have visible layer lines from the 3D printed mould, for purely mechanical applications this may be perfectly acceptable, but the kit does include the XCR coating resin, abrasives, and polishes required to finish the part to a high cosmetic standard.

For further information on the process can be found on the project page Using a 3D Printed Mould to Laminate a Carbon Fibre Part

What results can I expect?

The standard of the end result you can expect will vary greatly depending upon your level of practical skill, effort and perseverance but the materials contained within this kit in combination with the practical advice contained within the printed and video guides are quite capable of producing excellent results.

Kit Contents.

• 0.3sqm 2/2 Twill 3k Carbon Fibre Cloth
• 200g EL2 laminating epoxy (inc. AT30 Fast Hardener)
• 500g XCR Coating Resin (inc. Hardener)
• 35ml PVA mould release agent
• 0.3x1.52m of Peel Ply
• 2 pairs latex gloves, 4 mixing pots, 4 mixing sticks
• 4 laminating brushes (12mm)
• 1 sheet of 120, 240, 400, 800 and 1200grit Mirka Wet and Dry Abrasive Paper
• 50g NW1 Black Polishing compound