Hopefully i’ll get set up similar to this some day…
This is Carbon By Design in southern California. I like this thick glass table top.
So far i’ve got the thick tempered glass table top… old 4’x5.5’kitchen table i don’t use any more.
I think it was Einstein said: “Only the Greatest Minds Have the Messiest Desks (workshops)!”
Personally, I don’t want a workshop that I can eat off of the floors! :rolleyes:
Man, that is one large Bondline type RVBS system! :eek:
That is a really nice setup!
Pretty sure that would be their “clean room”. I would love to see what there finishing area looks like. Probably loaded with dust.
yeah that is the clean room they said. They had an infusion room but all they showed was the top of the huge table they use for infusing.
I like clean, feels healthier.
Werksberg, what is the big press thing used for in that photo? You guys can slap me for asking dumb questions later 
I googled it… it’s a reuseable vacuum bag thingamajig.
Small but decent shop. Layout is similar to what mine looks like except for our nicer shelves which need to be strong for all the chemicals. Ample space and good lighting is critical.
BTW, question for anyone using reuseable vac bag systems. Does the silicone sheet get resin transferred onto it? Since it basically replaces bagging film, which always has resin residue when pulled off. I’ve been looking into this system as the only consumables would then be peel ply and flow media, and there would always (hopefully) be a leak free seal.
Possibly getting into more mass manufacturing of some commercial products, and this would be the ideal way for large parts.
Nothing sticks to Silicone.
Except Silicone! 
And A/B foam!
Might be worth looking at 2 part moulds, and injecting resin into them? The cost of this is obviously more initially, but once set up you dont need to think about consumables.
Except the mold you are trying to use to make a silicone caul plate from…
grumbles
This is probably off topic, but …
Is it possible to make an rtv silicone mold and then fabricating a carbon fiber / epoxy part using the mold?
yea, but the problem with silicone molds is that they are not stable, if the part is small it will not matter as much. you would need to have a jig/structure to support it
how about pouring/spreading the silicone into a metal box to contain it? Once cured, leave it in the box.
for smaller parts it should be fine. but I would just stick with frp molds and make a silicone bag.
IMO, it’s too soft. You want the hardest mold surface possible.
yeah i hear you TET. It would probably destroy the mold after a couple pulls. or maybe even compress under vacuum causing distortion. I wasn’t thinking of that when i asked.
Except my hands!
A work partner of mine has a vacuum table the table top has holes all over it, he then lays down a sheet of stretchlon 200 bag film over the part being laid up, squeegies off the excess resin and then let’s it cure under vacuum. Is this what the Bondline table does?
Also TET i’m very interested in productivity… getting more parts done in a ‘short’ amount of time.
I’m thinking since i do mainly cosmetic parts, where resin content is not critical like aerospace parts - that using Light
RTM would be one method to speed things up. I will probably be switching to vinylester infusion resin for that. Also would diluting vinylester with styrene be a no no with LightRTM?
now i’m not being a smart a** when I ask… how would a large Bondline unit speed up production? less time bagging the part? Do you use sticky bag tape with a silicone bag system or does the bag seal on a frame of some sort? I would like to see an infusion done on that unit.
also if you guys would… post up some pics of RTM molds you have or use. I want to get into RTM and building the molds.