So, I am completely new to composites, but am willing to give it a try. I need a part made, and since it will cost me at least $10k for a shop to make it, I figured I would attempt to make it myself. I am hoping those of you with a some experience could assist me in how to best make the attached part. It will need to be very rigid, so I was thinking a sandwich core approach. Thanks in advance.
Welcome.
That part looks more like TP (thermoplastics) injection molding is needed than TS (thermosetting) Composites.
The mold will be expensive but end parts will be cheap.
What is the size?
of end parts too?
Thanks for the reply. It would be around 14" OD x 2.5" high. I only need about 12 parts, so it is not cost effective to have tooling made. Also, it needs to be very rigid. I had one made from 2024 T351, and it wasn’t strong enough, so I’m not sure plastic would work.
werksberg…would it not be possible to have the parts made as rings from a solid tube using high strength epoxy and zylon then water jet or cnc cut? That seems much more cost effective than creating tooling if the part need specific tolerence?..
BTW…if youd ont mind me asking, what is that? it looks almost like a clutch basket…
Is the thickness, along with the outter shape (where the tabs are higher than the ring surface) have to be exact?
If not, You can always just make tubes on a mandrel, either wrapping in CF, or filament winding, and then cutting the shape out.
I’m sure if you are good, and need the tabs stronger, you can add small bits of foam core in those raised areas when laying up the fiber.
just noticed the flange on the inside of the tabs. I would think that is needed for some mechanical reason.
Maybe have a mandrel with silicone helper tools to make the shape you need (think wide rubber bands on a pipe, spaced evenly, and then wrapping the fiber on that).
Zylon is crap man. From all i’ve read, it degrades. Also, it may be a good ballistic material, but they are not ridged like glass or carbon. Only if one adds a layer (zylong, kevlar, spectra, dynemma) on the outside to aid against shattering.
might also consider a type of phenolic sheeting and have it machined out.
That would be easy to incorporate the flange area as well.
You really need to explain what the part is, tolerances, environment, how stiff, how strong etc etc
zylon has better properties then kevlr, but as you said it does degrade…but only under exposure to uv, so if it’s never exposed or painted over it will be good.
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This is a drawing of what I’m trying to do