Carbon Fiber Mountainboard

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#1

I will be making a carbon fiber mountainboard (looks just like a snowboard) in the next couple of weeks and just have a couple of questions. I have access to a large CNC milling machine capable of making moulds. I figure I would be better off to make a female mould and lay up the carbon fiber and use the VARTM method rather than wraping it around a core. I think I will be using nomex honeycomb core (let me know if you have a better suggestion). I am also wondering what would be the recomended way of doing such a project. I looked at the carbon fiber skateboard thread and was amazed at the finish on it.

Thanks for any help! I will make sure to either do a build log of the board or else at least post the final pictures in the showcase, provided it turns out good.

#2

This should give you some ideas if you haven’t already seen it. How it’s made Burton snowboards.
[ame=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GmnLHuUo5Y”]How It’s Made - Snowboards - YouTube[/ame]

How did you plan to get both halfs bonded to the honeycomb? Infuse each half then do secondary bonding?

#3

Thanks for the video, that actually helped a great deal. I guess my best bet would then to use wood as the core.

I was planning on making the two halves then bonding them together but I wasn’t sure that was going to be the best option. I could always do prepreg as I do have access to an autoclave big enough, only thing is the cost seems to increase dramatically.

Is there a certain type of wood you would recomend using? Also, would it be worth investing in prepreg?

#4

Well since I’ve never made a surf board for the snow :stuck_out_tongue: I really don’t know what type of wood to use. This forum is full of experts from all different fields I’m sure one of them has to have an idea.

For your manf. process what about compression molding? A prof. would always say KISS. (keep it simple silly) If you have access to the cnc you will be able to make molds that will allow you to produce these even after school so you don’t need to own your own autoclave. All you would need is a bunch of C-clamps if you don’t have access to a large press. Then again like I said before I’ve never made a snowboard so I’m not sure if this is your best route.

#5

I was looking at some of the forums and it seems like that is the standard way of doing it. Some have a foam core and use stringers to add stiffness. (They are generally a lot stiffer than snowboards).

I was thinking about possibly doing something along the lines of the following images, with the use of Carbon Fiber and Aluminium down the center where the trucks will attach.

http://s1106.photobucket.com/albums/h378/AJChuckles/Mountain%20Board/

#6

:o hehe… I must have skimmed over the first post and just read the word snowboard because that’s what I thought you were making. :stuck_out_tongue:

Your original idea of infusion each half and bonding the core then bonding both halfs together would be a good idea. I wouldn’t think you need aluminum the entire length of the board because a cored panel is very strong, you would only need inserts where the trucks attach. With inserts you could place them in the mold before you lay the fabric in so when you infuse you don’t need to do any secondary bonding to attach them.

#7

At the moment I might just do it out of aluminum/stainless steel, just waiting for approval.

(Got the approval, so this thread can be closed and discarded if wanted).

P.S. Thanks for all the information and quick responses Rotorage, you are a get addition to this forum!