what is the advantage of using single sided prepreg over double sided prepreg? it will be for out of autoclave. If you have use both which one do you prefer?
I am about to order some prepreg but i am having trouble deciding.
I have tried quite a few different OOA pre-pregs. Some single sided and some double. The quality of the part is no different in most cases… But there is a pre-preg that works very well where pin holes are concerned. So to be honest you need to make a few choices…
- Are pin holes acceptable?
If the answer is no then you will need to use VTF 261 from ACG.
If the answer is Yes. Then most others will be fine… - Do you have to have good clarity?
If the answer is yes… Then it is best if you do not use VTF 261 as it has a dark hue to it and it is not as vibrant as some so you can probably use most of the other OOA carbons.
The problem is you cannot have good clarity AND pin hole free parts with OOA carbon to be honest. The level of pin holes will vary but getting a true pin hole free OOA carbon will need VTF and a very specific lay up with a very specific breather stack.
This is done with VTF.
that looks really good, what is your curing cycle like? do you pre heat the oven then start with low temperature and gradually ramp up?
I start from cold and ramp up at the rate ACG reccomend. They know their product and are the one all the other companies are trying to copy but so far as I know… There is no better OOA material and even the others are not there yet… Find a supplier who will tell you theirs will match VTF and try and get a sample! They will avoid doing it if you have a part already made using VTF!
morepower-
What is that shown in the picture? It’s beautiful. It looks like something you’d see on an F1 car…
Thank you it is just a belly pan section to one of my fairings… It looks nice and I have to admit I am amazed myself that I have been able to make some parts that look F1 or Moto GP quality. My sum total Pre-preg components are 4 seat/fuel tank units and 5 complete fairings (both upper and lower sections) so about the equivilent to 10 weeks work I guess… So I am very very new at all this. But I have 30 years of experience behind me with the guy who made my moulds offering advice and guidance. I guess he paid me a compliment when he said he could see areas in my work that could be improved but the quality is what he would expect to see from someone with 2 years experience. I have several more parts to make to finish off some orders and several more jobs for others to do in pre-preg. I am hoping this year will give me enough work to hone my skills. I am glad I do traditional wet lay too as that has helped me a lot understanding how resins flow and as I have been making polyester resin parts at least my scrap bin has not been full of expensive epoxy parts… Haha…
I may have a go at learning to do infusion over winter too…