Relest Wind HS Topcoat (resin)

RELEST Hardener PUR 1306 (catalyst/hardener)

Vacuum hose

WMD. 2001 air pressure pump

Mastic sealant or vacuum bag sealant tape: used to form a vacuum tight seal typically between the vacuum bagging film and mould tool for edge bagging and the bag film to bag film for envelope bagging. (black tape)

Carbon fiber

PVC foam

Breather/bleeder Cloth (gray fabric): allows air and volatiles to be removed within the vacuum bag and across the corner of the laminate or the mold. Also, used to absorb excess resin present in some composite lay ups.

Perforated release Ffilm (blue film): specially designed to prevent bonding with resin and is often used as the first barrier between the composite laminate and the rest of the vacuum bagging materials.

Release fabric (white with thin red strips): used to separate the absorber breather and vacuum bag from the laminate in vacuum bagging operations. Excess epoxy bleeds through and is peeled from the cured laminate along with the Release Fabric. Peels easily and leaves a smooth textured surface ready for bonding or finishing.

Spiral tube: allows very easy flow or resin from the resin feed tube into and around a resin infusion project.

Vacuum film: Once sealed creates the vacuum bag.

Mold release spray

The most import things we learned in this assignment were; what is a composite and how to make composite material (composite for short). A composite is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produced a material with characteristics different from the individual components. Essentially, a composite is a multi-layer material which is super strong, light weight and waterproof. This material is commonly used in kayak, repairing and building larger boats, airplanes, armor for military vehicles and making a verity of other light weight yet very strong things. This is also used to create many products where the weight and strength ratio are curial to the product being efficient.

Read The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and Technical Data Sheet (TDS) For The Resins That You're Using

While reading the TDS for RELEST Wind HS topcoat I learned that technical data sheets are just letting the user know how the chemical works. For example, the drying times are:

It also includes a very basic safety section. Click link to see an example of a TDS:

http://techinfo.relest.basf-coatings.com/data/relius/techmerk.nsf/getfile.xsp?lang=en&Article=I306-x2xx

After searching for hours, I could not find a MSDS on the resins that I will be using. I did some research on what a MSDS is. I found out a SDS is an international form of the MSDS. While MSDS comes in multiple formats and the SDS is published in one format. Source link:

https://www.safetyservicescompany.com/topic/osha/msds-vs-sds/

Design and Fabricate a 3D Mold (~ft2) and Produce a Fiber Composite Part In It

Cick on the the Week 7 to go back and see the fallowing steps on how to design and fabricate a 3D and 2D model.

The first step was to design and fabricate a mold to which our layers for our compost will form to. At first I used solid works to create a 3D model of a box with dimensions of 14.5 cm x 10 cm x 7 cm. Then, when I got to the Fab Lab the Fab Lab guru told me that it will be easier and more efficient to use a 2d model instead, because I would use the CNC router to cut in 2D. He let me use his computer which had the ArtCAM software on it. I redesigned the box which ended up with the 2D dimentions of 150 mm x 95 mm. Bellow are the pictures of my origional Solidworks image. I then created the Toool Paths and  simulated the Tool Paths. Finally I savedmy image to a pindrive.

Below are the images of my created tool paths:


Final image with bridges included below:


Setting Up The Machine and The Material To Cut

Before you insert your pen drive in the machine, and before you turn the machine on, place your sheet material with stabilizing supports. In this case, I used a Styrofoam sheet and drilled in the side stabilizing wood blocks, as seen in the image below. You need to put these blocks to stabilize the foam, because when the machine starts your material can move.


Safety: Most machines that we use at Fab Lab can cause significant bodily harm if the safety measures are not taken into a-count.

Below is a list of safety tips:

    •    Always remain with the machine while it is running, and be ready to hit the spacebar to pause the file, or the stop button to stop
         the machine in case of an emergency.

    •    Always wear eye protection while the machine is running, and have long hair tied back.

    •    When changing the endmill, Disengage the spindle.

    •    Use the dust guard.

    •    Don’t use gloves.

    •    Caution: Keep collets clean, a piece of debris or dust between the collet and bit can cause the bit to spin elliptically, harming bit, part or
         even operator.

After I placed the material on the table, I opened the file in the computer that works with the CNC router and then I positioned the X, Y and Z axis using the “Jog”. Jog settings are located on the right hand side of the screen under Hard limit settings.After that I needed to air cut to test my design first. Everythg matched up.


I draw a rectangle on the foam with the measures of my actual rectangle, but I end up drawing in a wrong position, but it didn’t affect anything. Since the tool that I used had 8mm, the foam was not cut all the way through as seen in the picture below.

Video of Router cutting: https://youtu.be/JTF_Ud9AxuA


The next steps is to cut the Styrofoam box out of the rest of the Styrofoam sheet using a saw, then sawing off all uneven parts and finally sanding the boxes sides smooth. Below are the video links of these steps:

https://youtu.be/kQK0gsrCPR4

https://youtu.be/_iOhFjQ0cIo

After cutting and sanding the Styrofoam box my rectangle box was ready. I put the protective green vinyl sticker paper on the rectangle so I could put the composites layers on the box. This sticker acts as a protective layer against the epoxy resin mixture that can damage the Styrofoam mold because, the epoxy resin mixture causes a exothermic reaction and can melt the foam.


Once I finished the previous steps I needed to clean the surfaces by brushing one layer of cleaning assistant chemical on all the sides. Then I brush on the two-mold release (FMS and c-600) chemicals which not only help to release the mold from the composite but, it also creates a pours surface and a protective agent against heat.


Aftwr that I will get everything ready to use the vacuum bagging technique to form the composite. Vacuum bagging (or vacuum bag laminating) is a clamping method that uses atmospheric pressure to hold the adhesive or resin-coated components of a lamination in place until the adhesive cures. This form of clamping has many advantages such as even clamping pressure, control of resin content by controlling excess adhesive in the laminate, resulting in higher fiber-to-resin ratios, can customize any mold shapes and finally allows for a more efficient laminating. 


Here is a good link to help understand how the vacuum bag works:

http://www.westsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/VacuumBag-7th-Ed.pdf

Below is a picture of some of the material but I didn’t end up using all of it:

After cleaning the box, I got the glass table ready, I put the vacuum bag sealant tape in an area that I thought were good enough to place the vacuum bag later. I then sprayed the mold release spray onto the surface of the box. After that I placed the (spiral tube) also used for the vacuum bag and the breather cloth on top of the spiral tube. Lastly attaching the vacuum hose to both the spiral tubing and the vacuum.


Now it was time to mix the clear epoxy with the catalyst (Blue).  The ratio that I used was 100 R:75H. I could tell right away that it was working because the temperature of the chemicals began to get hot (exothermic reaction). Then I brushed the resin on to the green layer and then I started placing the carbon fiber layer making sure to packing it tightly against the sides. After that I brushed the resin on top of the carbon fiber layer.To give more resistance to the box I put a thicker carbon fiber layer at the bottom. Then I brushed the layer with resin.

After that, I placed the release fabric layer pressing it down to be as smooth as possible. Then I brushed another layer of resin.



Then I placed a layer of blue perforated release film. Also, cutting the corner so that it could mold tightly to the shape of the mold. Once i did the previous placed the breather/bleeder cloth in the pater shown in the picture below to remove the material later. Now it was time to place the vacuum film on top of the designated area and seal it with the vacuum bag sealant tape. Making sure that it is air tight.

Note: Leave the Vacuum film baggy near the corners of your mold using the vacuum bag sealant tape on the inside of the film running down all four corners. This will create a skirt that will allow the vacuum film to tightly hug the corners of your mold.


Video link of vacuum ceiling mold and composts: https://youtu.be/KjCv4Oec-5c

Final product once removed from the mold:

It came out extremely strong, water resistant, light weight. This project really helped me understand what composites are and how they are made. Strong enough to stand on.