_Week14_COMPOSITES

_Introduction

HANDS ON AGAIN! In this week we work similiar like molding and casting doing a mold from 3D milling and working with composites getting the form that we design putting layers of the material that we want and epoxy resins.

_Background

A Composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. The individual components remain separate and distinct within the finished structure.

Useful links:

  • Composites Materials
  • What is a Composite?

    • _Week Assignments

  • Read the material safety data sheet (MSDS) and technical data sheet (TDS) for the resins that you're using.
  • Design and fabricate a 3D mold (~ft2) and produce a fiber composite part in it

    • _Workflow /Step by Step

    _Choose material.

    We got in the fablab some workshops for understanding the composites:

  • We create bioplastic with the help of Clara Davis from the FabTextiles easily from jelly and glycerin.
  • With Santi we learn about using the Epoxy resins, the security safes and the proportion 2:1.
  • We have a very good workshop about different materials and how to use it in any project with Joaquim Melchor from ARTCONT.

    • _Design and fabricate 3D mold.

    After understanding the logic of the composites system and what materials I worked on, I decided to use these ones:

  • Create the 3D mold from one piece from my final project just to check how the definition is going to work on this kind of materials.
  • For the 3D mold I used Expanded polystyrene milling again in the Monofab like in molding and casting week using the 1/32 drillbit.
    • I didnt do the finishing this time because i wanted to see how the definition at first time its gonna work.

    _Produce a fiber composite.

    The process to create the fiber composite was having 6 layers on the top and 2 in down in order to create the composite material with the epoxy resin.

    DOWN (to protect the vacuum)

  • 1 layer Plastic foil for painting
  • 1 layer release film

    • UP

  • 1 layer Plastic foil
  • 3 layers of thin elastic textile.
  • 1 layer of release film
  • 1 layer of breath fabric

    • _Final review.

    Things to correct after this exercise:

  • Maybe do bigger the mold for appreciate more the quality of the work.
  • Work more into the finishing part of the mold for achieve more quality.
  • Try with the vacuum bag instead of the vacuum machine (for seeing the difference in the quality.

    • _FILES

    All the files for this assignment are available to download here