cheap lay up

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#1

Hey guys,

I’m looking at the possibility of producing large amounts of hemispherical shaped carbon fiber parts with various diameters.

Problem is I need a very economical lay up procedure, fast.

My, off the top of my head idea, is: spun metal or pressed metal form.

Does anyone know where i can get metal forms (molds but keep an open mind because it does not have to be sold as a mold). I’m hoping i can nest these forms in stacks of 10 or so and then use a hydraulic press to compress them and the carbon fiber in between. Technically speaking, would the same size hemispherical shape nest together with .025" thick laminate in between? It is not a complete half circle shape… just a dome. They aren’t structural parts and some minor surface flaws are acceptable.

Also need an economical way of trimming the parts…

waterjet? Wouldn’t the pressure from the water move the part around unless it was clamped somehow? Or perhaps there is a better method of trimming.

#2

of course you will have to calculate the thickness of the laminate… then you could go have the good side and backside of the domes cnc built, not necessarily out of metal, abs plastic would work good, and clamp them together in some sort of vice.

#3

I think i’ve decided to NOT do this project. It was speaker parts but those guys are super cheap ( speaker building companies) and only want to pay a couple bucks per part. To me if i can’t get $20 just for trimming each speaker cone it ain’t worth my time. That don’t include the lay up and materials.