To do list:
- 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
I have been so overwhelmed lately. Between being an employee of the Fab Lab and a student at the same time has proven its difficulties. As always I am trying my best to keep up with my assignments.
For the sake of learning the concept of the composite process I decided to create the back panel for my final project.
First, I designed my part in SketchUp. After designing it, I converted to an .stl file to upload to the Shopbot.
I chose insulated foam because of its lightweight and sturdiness. After the foam was cut, I decided to use the laser cutter to cut out the burlap for the top face of the composite part. Since burlap is fairly light and easy to cut, I used the settings of....
I cut multiple pieces of burlap for added layers. Now that all the pieces of burlap has been cut, It's time to prepare the Epoxy resin and hardener for the vacuum process. Once equal parts of the epoxy and hardener have been mixed, using a spatula I saturated the burlap with the mixture. The process felt very similar to paper mache.After cutting the vacuum bag, I sealed using mastic tape, to ensure no air could escape.
Problems I ran to:
- I didn't finish the vacuum process for time reasons.
- The overall design presented issues with the burlap and epoxy. I will do something less complex next time.
- Click here to download sketchup file
- Click here to download stl file