Has anybody here tried mould heating with carbon fiber cloth or roving? Look like perfect way to mould heating rapidly, easily and cheap…
I made a test with 3K carbon roving. Connected ends to PC power supply (+12V). At first I just held it between my fingers. It was hard to tell if its warmer or not. So then I winded it a little bit around end of home thermometer. Rapid heating from room temperature to 40°C in few seconds. I was really surprised.
I read about this idea (some German university research)at the internet.
Check this pictures…
I have seen conductive coated kevlar…never using just the fabric like this. I wonder if the one direction is coated with anything…and I wonder about arcing of random fibers.
iiiinteresting.
There is no special coating. Just ordinary carbon fiber cloth. You can also use carbon roving. Im going to try this on composite mould. After first layers of glass I will use UD roving, laying it parallel, curved on edges made as one continuous roving piece… both end of roving connected to electrical source…
Random carbon fibers will be not good. Electricity will find shortest path with less resistance… You need path on whole surface…
I guess if you “wired” it up so that you only used one direction, one side positive the other side negative, then I would think that arcing would occur but wouldn’t be a bad thing… It might actually help keep heating uniform.
i meant broken filaments, and if the weave is distorted somehow…shrugs
How do you suppose they control the temp?
It is a great idea that I may play around with in the future.
Thanks:)
hmm, i wonder up to what temperature one would get using cf roving?
I’ll just keep using the home bbq for now…
kidding, i’m kidding 
Mould temperatures up to 200°C (392F) can be reached… its in that pdf document.