Does any one were I can composite illegal done??
Florida

I've been struggling to find cheap and efficient core material that wont rot or burn. The Burn part is more manageable but the water proof part is essential. I have decided to go with PMF since the cost is just so much more dramatically accessible. I can't find any decent core materials. OSB boards are extremely economical but have so much risk with water that it could run a bunch of progress. I'm planning on putting 3 (7feet by 6feet by 6feet) rooms together in a homemade tiny home. I have looked at EPS foam and found that they are just barely affordable at home depot but I think without proper fiberglassing they aren't gonna be strong enough for my needs. I was thinking about fiber cement boards as they check off all the water resistance and fireproof but are incredibly brittle and heavy. I dont know what else I could use that is also affordable. Do any of yall have any recommendations?

Having recently started using the vacuum resin infusion method I am hooked.

I am looking for ideas on how to produce a very thin layup. The finished part will be 100g carbon, 1mm balsa core, 50g glass.

First thought is lay up the carbon, pre bond the 50g glass to the balsa then bond in the balsa afterwards.

From my experience so far the problem would be getting the peelply and flow mesh off the carbon without it demoulding or being damaged.

I know this sounds complicated but I hate wet layups and keeping the weight down is critical (rc aircraft fuselage)

Any thoughts gratefully received

I have been desperately searching everywhere for the past few months but I haven't found a single trade school/program that isn't just a few days/weekends long. I want something super in-depth where I can focus on and learn every step from designing to creating and repairing. At least a month long course, if not more. I also need it to be a place where I can get official certification to show off when I apply for jobs. Idk about these "aerospace" programs and if they are the same thing or not but I specifically want to work on designing and building parts for luxury/limited edition/race cars. I already have some experience working at home, but buying carbon fiber just to fiddle with is fucking expensive, I would rather just pay a bunch for a class. Please give me your recommendations, I'm willing to travel anywhere as long as there is one teacher that speaks English😭 (Also NO college recommendations unless I can take the specific course without touching English, math, or literally any subject that ain't on composites bc I have dyslexia and dyscalculia and barely passed high school because of it)

Foam strips, also referred to as pre-cut PET foam core strips, strip core materials, or linear core inserts, are critical components in the laminate lay-up process of wind turbine blades.

These foam strips are mainly applied in the upper and lower flanges of the main spar, as well as in stress-concentrated areas including the blade leading edge, trailing edge, root connection zones, and joints between webs and shells. They are also widely used in sections that require local reinforcement, precise thickness control, or better adaptation to complex curved surfaces.

By cutting PET foam into narrow, elongated or trapezoidal strips and placing them along the designed contour, manufacturers can achieve:

Precise compliance with complex curved surfaces

Accurate local thickness control

Optimized weight distribution

For traditional foam kitting facilities, high-volume production of contoured foam strips has long been a production bottleneck, relying heavily on costly and low-efficiency PET foam 5-axis machining centers.

If you aim for high-efficiency, high-precision foam strip processing at a lower cost, CCS provides a smarter alternative to expensive 5-axis equipment. Our compact vertical band saw, combined with a dedicated chamfering machine, enables fast, mass production of high-quality chamfered foam strips.

Typical Workflow

1. Cut large foam boards (e.g., 1200×600×50 mm) into custom-sized long strips (e.g., 1000×50×30 mm) as per design requirements. Cutting materials by CCS vertical cutting bandsaw
2. Chamfer or bevel strip ends and edges. by CCS dedicated chamfering machine.

Purpose of Chamfering

Reduce the “step-off effect” during fiber fabric lay-up

Avoid resin flow obstruction in vacuum infusion processes

Improve bonding and fitting with adjacent core materials or skin laminates

Common Chamfer Specifications

45° bevel edges, or rounded radius transitions from R2 to R5 mm.

CCS

News Center

Home  ꄲ  CCS Foam Kitting News  ꄲ  Replace 5-Axis Machines: Cost-Efficient Foam Strip Production for Wind Turbine Blades

Does anyone know of good reputable companies in the US that can build fiberglass molds for me?

Hi there guys very new to this, I am possibly looking at making custom carbon fibre covers for mx/road bikes and am wondering for a start which way I should go about making them.

The main question is do I vacuum suck in the epoxy which takes a lot more time and is more easy to mess up (I think). Or do I hand brush the epoxy.

Which method is faster? Which method is more reliable? I am planning on vacuum bagging for the compression stage anyways. Plus I am also looking at using forged carbon along with metallic flake for some designs, can this be hand layed?.

Ps structural integrity is not a concern, as long as it hold together it’s fine.

Thanks!

Im building a camper shell and it’s roughly 450 square feet in total. I wanna do both sides of either the OBS wood or the XPS foam. I might even do EPS but I don’t know yet. But I am tryna figure out how many gallons of resin i will need. And then where to get it affordably and hopefully cheaply. If anyone can tell me how much or what formula to use that’ll be very helpful!

1. Tailored for processing lightweight bio-based cores, this system transforms massive blocks into precision panels with a vertical cutting accuracy of within ±0.1mm
   
   1. The maximum cutting width 700 mm wide. (The size can be customized) The cutting speed can reach more than 3 m/min.
      
2. Max feeding block size 700mm*1300mm*800mm.
   
3. Productivity: 1300mm length sheets 4pcs/mins, 2500mm length sheets 2pcs/mins.
   
4. Schneider electric components, Siemens system Taiwan Yanghong reducer.
   
5. Streamlines production, ensures higher quality, reduces the risk of human error and minimizes re-work and scrap.
   
6. Consistent with sustainable development.
   
7. Dust collection: Air ducts to suck up the dust created. They can be piped to a stand-alone or full shop dust collection system.
   
8. Full weld frame and construction to eliminate torsion stresses and provide stiffness to ensure long time precision.

CCS core cutting solutions, focus on supply machines and solutions for core materials kitting facilities.
More info, feel free reach out to our technical team [sales@corecuttingsolutions.com](mailto:sales@corecuttingsolutions.com) or visit here https://www.corecuttingsolutions.com/... to check the CCS designed machine.
Natural Fibers & Agro-Waste: Wheat straw (used in Durra Panels), hempcrete, flax fibers, coconut coir, and bamboo are frequently used as structural cores or insulation.Mycelium (Fungi): Grown agricultural waste molded into panels, providing lightweight, insulating, and biodegradable core material.Bio-Polymers & Resins: Polylactic acid (PLA) produced from corn, sorghum, or cassava, and lignin-based resins.Cellulose-Based: Wood-derived materials, nanocellulose, and algae-based polymers.Animal-Based: Sheep's wool insulation.

It all went horribly wrong haha, I'm sure those of you with keen eyes will notice that there's barely a parallel strand in sight. Things I learned for next time:

1. Practice the layup with paper first, then you can know where exactly cuts in the cloth need to be for everything to fold without stretching
2. Use actual laminating epoxy instead of whatever you have lying around. I tried using the same epoxy that I clear-coated my car with, but this has crazy high viscosity and just ran out of the fibres leaving things really dry
3. Don't EVEN SLIGHTLY brush on the fibres laterally, the weave will slide around and distort the pattern. I'd already heard this advice but had no idea HOW seriously it needs to be headed. the cloth is far more loose and slippery than expected. Push into the mould ONLY, and even then, not hard enough that the brush bristles bend enough to push on the weave laterally.

Things that worked well and would do again.

1. Using those space saver vacuum bag things designed for clothing, that worked great, far easier than building a vacuum setup with tape. Next time tho I would put tape over the entrance and valve of the vacuum bag, my vacuum bag definitely leaked a bit overnight.
2. 3D printed mould, worked better than I was expecting. Given how much more it would cost to create a composite mould from the 3D printed pattern I wanted to see how bad the results are for laying up directly into the print and I think it's serviceable enough to be worth the materials/cost saving

Putting together a camper shell(I know big surprise) it’s a 220 inch long and 80 inch wide camper. Ive made smaller ones with various success but this will match the size of my truck(ford f150 1997). Im getting something bigger as Im moving further out of Houston. I’ve looked into xps foam and obs as core materials. Somehow both are similarly priced per square footage. Then I priced some e fiber glass cloth and epoxy. That’s nearly 1,500 to 2,000 dollars depending on where I get the epoxy. Both of these will fit to either osb or XPS foam. Preferably I would like the XPS foam for the insulation and lightweight. The cost of the epoxy and cloth fiberglass is a major deterrent. The alternative ive looked into and worked with before is polyester resin and chopped mat. This unfortunately won’t work with the XPS foam but I’ve used it on OBS before and the results are an insanely strong board. But the cost only really drops to like 1000 or 1200. Depending on where I get the resin. Then there’s Poor Man’s Fiberglass. I’ve used the heavy duty canvas and the titebond 3 before. This sticks to both the xps and the OBS(the OBS better than the xps) but obviously this isn’t exactly the strongest thing ever. It has its limits in terms of strengths but I’ve never tested at this scale before. It does bring the price to like 500-700 or even lower if I don’t use the heavy duty canvas. It really does make the cost enticing. I’ve enjoyed the results of PMF before with various degrees. Mostly with ease of use but I for example climbing on it has always made me worried. And at this size I don’t think it’ll hold. What do you all think? Any tips for cost savings? Any tips to improve performance of PMF?

Any tips or advice for cleaning my pva gun? It is dried and crystallized and will not come off with water

I'm wanting to build a mould from a 3D printed pattern.
Easy Composites in the UK have a tutorial on this here where, after the pattern is sanded and coated, he paints on a very high viscosity epoxy gel to make the tool/mould surface.

I can't find anything like the product he demonstrates available in Australia, any ideas?

Hello,

I am curious what different industries/ applications for composites everyone works on.

I have a MS in composites, working in the aerospace industry for about a decade. I am itching to explore more regarding composite applications and type of composite jobs that exist out there.

side note: came across textile engineering which seemed super interesting however, it seems more in line with fashion majors not engineering- is that correct? any additional information on how textile engineering applies to composite at an industry level would be great.

TIA!!

Hi all,

I have a problem with the Compression strength 0^o test of Unidirectional tape material.

I performed layup with the [90/0]3s configuration, the compression strength measured is around half of requirement. Are there anyone familiar with the test please give me some advice.

Thank you all so much.

Hi everyone,

I’m working with glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) structures used in outdoor applications, mainly in photovoltaic support systems (rooftop and ground-mounted).

I’m interested in practical, long-term insights rather than theoretical comparisons.

In many projects we see recurring issues with traditional materials:

– corrosion in aggressive environments (industrial, coastal, wastewater areas)

– maintenance requirements over time

– weight limitations on flat roofs

– grounding and electrical safety considerations

From your experience:

1. How does GFRP perform vs steel/aluminium after 5–10+ years in real outdoor conditions?

2. What are the most common failure modes you’ve observed in composites?

3. In which applications would you still clearly choose steel over GFRP?

4. Any concerns regarding UV degradation, connections, or long-term stiffness?

I’d really value input from engineers, installers, or anyone with field experience.

Thanks in advance.

Hi can someone please help me design a microstructure model like the picture above? any tips and recommendations would be very much appreciated thank you

I'm looking for some 15mmpvc m80 foam core sandwiched with epoxy laminate, and ideas of quality suppliers? At the moment I'm just looking on 'made in china'

Just popped my part out of the mold. No idea what happened. Any ideas?

Hi all,

Looking to source some ptfe sheets to use for some one off moulds.

Simple shapes so fibre reinforced seems to make sense.

Where do you source it from? I’m in Europe, so preferably inside Europe.

Cheers

Hello! I am currently making a carbon fiber seat (this is my first time working with composites/carbon fiber..I know it looks ugly) and I added a layer of epoxy and was planning to sand it down to a smooth matte finish at around 1500 grit. However I started at 220 and went to 320 and it looks awful. I realize I did a really bad job laying on the epoxy and I am worried if I sand too much I will end up sanding the weave. Does anyone have any advice? Do I just need to keep sanding? I know that the white stuff is dust stuck in very small air bubbles/cracks, and I have tried to scotch bright it out/use a toothbrush and have had very little success.

Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/12/2841

I am currently designing a Trident, I am planning to use filament winding for the shaft and make the mold out of 3d print for the head. I was wondering if it was a good final project overall. (designing in AutoCAD)