Forged Carbon Fibre Development Kit

Forged carbon components provide excellent mechanical performance that can rival or better that of metals and allows fully moulded shapes to be produced that would be almost impossible using traditional single-sided composite moulding methods. This development kit has been put together to allow engineers and keen hobbyists to experiment and prototype with this highly effective process.

The kit includes 750g of premium quality CT-12 virgin chopped tow carbon fibre, our high-performance IN2 epoxy infusion resin, RW4 high-build spray wax and ancillaries, all of which work together and will create forged carbon fibre parts with outstanding mechanical properties.

The kit is designed to work in tandem with our forged carbon fibre video tutorial to provide an accessible, reliable and comprehensive introduction to the process of compression moulding solid carbon fibre components.

New for 2024, the kit now also includes a 50g pack of long-strand carbon fibre tow to allow for experimentation with strength optimisation using unidirectional reinforcement within the forged carbon component.

Typical Uses

This Development kit is ideally suited to anyone looking to explore this highly effective manufacturing process and produce functional forged carbon fibre components. Common applications include light-weighting of assemblies by replacing metal components, development of new lightweight structural elements, production of aftermarket and upgraded automotive components and many more uses where conventional composites may not be appropriate. A notable benefit of this process is that It allows the production of high-strength components using only a conventional FDM 3D printer opening up a range of possibilities in this sector.

Use this kit to:

• Produce solid forged carbon fibre with excellent mechanical performance.
• Rapidly prototype mechanical components without specialist machinery.
• Reduce weight by upgrading from metal components

Quantity

The kit includes 750g of CT12 chopped carbon fibre tow, 50g of long strand carbon fibre tow (cut to approximately 250mm length) and 1kg of IN2 epoxy infusion resin, which provides enough material to produce approximately 1kg (or 0.7 litres) of solid carbon components due to the resin which is squeezed from the mould.

The Forged Carbon Fibre Process

Overview

Suitable Moulds

In order to use this kit to produce forged carbon fibre parts, you will require a set of moulds designed with compression moulding in mind. These compression moulds can be made by 3D printing, resin casting or CNC machining, as described in the tutorial. See also our tutorial on resin casting a two-part compression mould.

Mould Preparation

Before laminating, all mould sections should be prepared using multiple applications of RW4 spray release wax (included in kit). Any holes or bolt threads should be sealed or smoothed using filleting wax (also included).

Fibre and Resin Loading

The chopped carbon fibre tow and low viscosity epoxy should be accurately weighed and loaded into the mould. This will appear to mean overloading the mould cavity, which is the reason why the mould needs to be designed with some 'compression space'.

Compression

Once the moulds have been loaded with fibre and resin the two mould halves can then be compressed together, This clamping can be done with either a bench vice, G-clamps, or a press. The compression needs to be done gradually over a period of a several minutes to allow time for the excess resin to escape.

Curing and Finishing

After curing at room temperature for around 24hrs, the part can be demoulded and any flashing or nibs removed using abrasive paper. Parts produced from a 3D printed mould can have their layer lines removed using abrasive paper if required.

Where a high-gloss finish is preferred, components can be finished using a spray applied clear-coat or brush applied XCR coating resin (not included).

Full details of the process can be found on our compression moulding forged carbon fibre project page.

Additional information about mould design and use of the long-strand carbon fibre tow for strength optimisation can be found in the follow-up forged carbon mould design and strength optimisation video tutorial.

What Results Can I Expect?

Done correctly, this forged carbon fibre moulding process is remarkable reliable, consistent and capable of producing accurate components with excellent mechanical properties and very low void content.

The success of the process will largely depend on the design and accuracy of the compression moulds, accuracy of material measurement and - to some extent - appropriate distribution of the reinforcement, all of which should be within the scope of any engineer or keen hobbyist. The surface finish is mostly influenced by the mould tools; machined, resin cast or resin printed tools will generally offer a finer finish than FDM printed ones where the layer-lines will be transferred into the part. For cosmetic finish parts, some minor fettling or filling can be required.

Kit Contents

• 750g CT12 chopped tow carbon fibre
• 50g of long strand 6k carbon fibre tow cut into approximately 250mm lengths.
• 1kg IN2 infusion epoxy (inc. AT30 fast hardener)
• 400ml RW4 high-build spray release wax
• 10g filleting wax
• 5 pairs nitrile gloves, 5 mixing pots, 5 mixing sticks
• 5 laminating brushes (12mm)