AsianStarCNC | How to Made Carbon fiber parts?

What are Carbon Fiber Parts?

Carbon Fiber is a kind of carbonized fiber inorganic non-metallic material made of graphite pressing and weaving. Its carbon content is usually more than 90%. After the graphite material is drawn, wound and weaved, it is made into carbon fiber cloth. Carbon Fiber is widely used in automobiles, bicycles and other parts.

Carbon fiber is lighter, stronger, quieter and more flexible than other composite materials or metal, plastic, wood, and is a better choice. With the improvement of people's requirements for efficiency and environmental protection, Carbon Fiber has become a more attractive choice due to its huge advantages.

Metal parts are simple to machine, simply melted into a liquid state, placed in a mold, and made into a final shape from one material. The resulting isotropic strength is the same in every direction and can therefore be analyzed as a homogenous part.

In contrast, carbon fibers are not isotropic, and the properties of carbon fibers change in all directions, even requiring corresponding calculations. Designing custom Carbon Fiber Parts requires a very professional and experienced team. The more complex this analysis means the longer it takes, whereas a metal part may only take a few minutes.

Carbon Fiber Parts Features

At low temperatures, the epoxy resin will be in a semi-hardened state. To completely harden the carbon fiber impregnated with the epoxy resin, it needs to be processed by heating, pressing and other processes. The rise of temperature and pressure needs to be precisely controlled. At the same time, for carbon fiber products with different structures and different layers of carbon cloth, the curing time, temperature and pressure will also be different, so as to ensure that the finished carbon fiber parts have the most reliable performance.

The strength of high-quality Carbon Fiber Parts is even higher than that of metal materials such as steel and aluminum alloy, and the weight is much lower than that of metal materials. This makes carbon fiber the most widely used material in the manufacture of high-end sports bicycles. Strong rigidity provides equipment with excellent performance for professional bicycle competitions, training and fitness.

In addition, carbon fiber materials have flexible plasticity. Through different molds, carbon fiber materials can be manufactured into almost any desired appearance. Professional sports bikes, especially road bikes, have extremely high requirements for aerodynamics. Plasticity makes the "impossible task" of many metal materials a reality - taking bicycle frames as an example, steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy and other metal materials will be subject to certain restrictions in design due to the limitations of the manufacturing process , and due to the need for welding, the smooth transition effect of carbon fiber cannot be obtained.

How to make carbon fiber parts?

With the development of science and technology, the manufacture of carbon fiber parts is a very mature technology, especially in China, almost all factories with production capacity can manufacture carbon fiber parts, but the quality is uneven. As a customer, you need to check it yourself. Of course, we also have better recommendations. For example, AsianStarCNC is one of the most mature manufacturers of carbon fiber parts.

Manufacturing fiber-reinforced polymers is a skilled and labor-intensive process that can be used in both one-off and mass production. Depending on the size and complexity of the part, its cycle time varies from 1 hour to 150 hours. In FRP manufacturing, filaments are usually joined together in a matrix to form individual layers, which are then laminated layer by layer to the final part.

The properties of a carbon fiber part are influenced by the material as much as the lamination process. The way fibers are bonded can greatly affect the performance of a part. Thermoset resins are formed in a tool or mold with reinforcements and cured to form a strong product. There are a variety of lamination techniques available, which can be broken down into three main types:

Resin Transfer Molding - RTM 

With Carbon fiber is inserted into a two-part mold by making a preform of carbon fiber material into a closed mold. The mold is closed before the resin is forced into the cavity under vacuum and pressure. It is usually automated and computer controlled and can be produced in large quantities.

Wet Lay

In wet lay-up, the fibers are cut and laid into a mold, and then the resin is applied by brush, roller or spray gun. She can make high quality parts, but if it's the cheapest, least demanding workflow to make DIY carbon fiber parts. If you are new to carbon fiber part manufacturing and not already equipped, we recommend starting with wet hand lamination.

Prepreg Lamination 

With prepreg lamination, resin is infused into the preceding fibers. Pre-impregnated sheets were kept refrigerated to inhibit curing. The plies are then cured in an autoclave under heat and pressure into the mold. Since the amount of resin is controllable, this can be done more precisely and is reproducible in batches, but it is also the most expensive technology and is typically used for high-performance applications.

Carbon fiber has also become more cost-effective and accessible through technological advancements and the maturation of specialized carbon fiber part manufacturing. Both suppliers and buyers are willing to choose carbon fiber technology to manufacture parts to improve efficiency. For buyers, in China, it is not easy to choose a reliable and suitable service provider. You need to investigate and choose by yourself. I recommend AsianStarCNC professional supplier.

Professional Manufacturing Carbon Fiber Parts - AsianStarCNC

Services provided by AsianStarCNC include CNC Turning, CNC Milling, CNC Turning and Milling, CNC Drilling, Grinding, Aluminum Extrusion, Forging Services, Sheet Metal Processing, etc. We carry out various surface finishing treatments on the products according to the order requirements.

AsianStarCNC has rich experience in manufacturing carbon fiber parts. The materials used in CNC processing are mainly metal and plastic, including low-carbon steel, titanium, aluminum, brass, copper, stainless steel, ABS, HDPE, nylon, PTFE, LDPE, PEEK and more. The production function determines the material used, and AsianStarCNC selects the best production solution as well as tools and knives for the unique material.

The perfect quality control system allows AsianStarCNC to strictly control the production procedures following the quality details, including monitoring quality control inspections before production starts and during production, and final quality control inspections before packaging. Thanks to the development of the QC system, AsianStarCNC can perfectly control the production Precision and product appearance, to provide customers with the best products.