Composites

I worked on a composite made of bambou, fabric and epoxy resins. I did with it a deck for a skateboard.



The design was made by drawing many curves in the x and z directions and some others in the y and z directions. Then I created a surface from them. Once I have that surface, I can easyly obtain the 3d files to do the mold in the shopbot and the traces to cut the bambou in the laser cutter.



Once the foald mold was milled and the bambou was cutted, I had to prepare the other materials that are needed to set a propper composite.



I used a piece of fabric to catch the epoxy resins between the 2 parts of bambou. I also used some fabric that let the resins go trought without staying inside so I could protect the mold and use it again. And then I used a material that absorbs the excedent of resins.



Then I mixed the epoxy resins and the hardener and put it in the fabric and in the bamboo. I made the sandwich of all the materials and put it in a vacuum bag.



The air was pushing the bamboo against the mold so it gives it the shape. I waited 6 hours for the resins to be hard.



I could then do some sanding and put some oil to protect the wood from the water.



I need then to cut the grip and install it and buy some trucks and wheels so I could ride my skate.



As you can see the curvature is not very big. I wanted a light curvature so I designed that way, but the bambou as a kind of memory of shape and the vacuum is not super strong, so the curvature is lightest than the one I designed.

Files here for the laser cutter : .dxf
And for the mold : .3dm