So, how would one learn to fabricate carbon fiber products?

[Hobie]

Initially not so much as a hobby, but more as an employee, and eventually as the business owner.

For one of the ways I phrased the question the entire first page of results were from enthusiasts on message boards wanting to make carbon junk for various cars, lawl.


EDIT - I don't want to know how to make something for my car, more of a general question, don't kill the thread by moving it to the garage. THANKS!

[Grimpala]

Do you have a vaccuum forming setup? A high powered vaccuum system and all the required fittings/bags?

A place to store the materials (IIRC you have to keep the CF at a very cold temp along with the resins)

The materials alone aren't going to be cheap.

Who is your target customer?

[Broncojohnny]

It is like laying fiberglass, there are online tutorials out there.

If you want to do it right, the hard part is that after you lay the resin on the fiber you need a vacuum chamber to draw pressure on the part while it cures. For small parts that is easy but if you were to try to make something larger then the equipment can get pretty expensive.

[helosailor]

There are classes for composite manufacturing out there, mainly as related to the aerospace industry. Aerospace is the heart of carbon fiber technology. See if you can find a contact at Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin or a little place called Composite Technology, Inc. (I used to work there), they might be able to give you some pointers.
I could give you the quick version of how it's done, but it's too much to type.

As far as teaching yourself to do it, if you have about $30k to buy some low-end equipment, it could be done.

[helosailor]

Do you have a vaccuum forming setup? A high powered vaccuum system and all the required fittings/bags?

A place to store the materials (IIRC you have to keep the CF at a very cold temp along with the resins)

The materials alone aren't going to be cheap.

Who is your target customer?

If it's pre-preg, yes. Bare cloth, no.

Vacuum bagging capability+steady and consistent heat curing (heater mat/oven) OR an autoclave are musts.

[Hobie]

Do you have a vaccuum forming setup? A high powered vaccuum system and all the required fittings/bags?

A place to store the materials (IIRC you have to keep the CF at a very cold temp along with the resins)

The materials alone aren't going to be cheap.

Who is your target customer?

Pfft, of course I don't have any of that crap, lol. Just an idea I'm curious about.

It is like laying fiberglass, there are online tutorials out there.

If you want to do it right, the hard part is that after you lay the resin on the fiber you need a vacuum chamber to draw pressure on the part while it cures. For small parts that is easy but if you were to try to make something larger then the equipment can get pretty expensive.

It's just a wild hair. I've messed around with fiberglass at a couple of jobs as a youngster, but helping fab up a couple race car bodies/nosecones/pods/etc. was as far as it went and it was really rudimentary.

There are classes for composite manufacturing out there, mainly as related to the aerospace industry. Aerospace is the heart of carbon fiber technology. See if you can find a contact at Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin or a little place called Composite Technology, Inc. (I used to work there), they might be able to give you some pointers.
I could give you the quick version of how it's done, but it's too much to type.

As far as teaching yourself to do it, if you have about $30k to buy some low-end equipment, it could be done.

Don't worry about typing it out, don't need the details like that now.

[VaderTT]

http://www.turbomustangs.com/PBcarbonfiber.php

[LocDawg]

I was trained on working with it and sent through several schools that expanded my skill base by the Air Force. I am a Fabricator by trade and my careerfield recently split to form another (2A7X5) which deals with Low Observable (stealth) technology. There are civilian schools like Abaris which we send some of our people through that teach you how to work with Carbon and other Advanced Composites.

[Trip McNeely]

I was trained on working with it and sent through several schools that expanded my skill base by the Air Force. I am a Fabricator by trade and my careerfield recently split to form another (2A7X5) which deals with Low Observable (stealth) technology. There are civilian schools like Abaris which we send some of our people through that teach you how to work with Carbon and other Advanced Composites.

I got these Cheeeeese burgers maaaaaaaaaaan!!