Hand Laminating a Carbon Fibre Part Directly into a 3D Printed Mould

[@rolfnilsen6385]

Finally a messy old school wet layup with modern techniques like 3D printing. Great stuff in this one. I'll definately have to try the 3D printing route.

[@mguarin912]

By far one of the best instructional video channels on KZbin.

[@easycompositestv]

Thank you very much 🙏

[@martmart6304]

Me at 3am: InTerEsTiNg

[@josecamacho5522]

Me with 5 dollars and a shitty and not dry Pla in the printer

[@Mexinator127]

3:38am

[@motordude67]

You are the best! Great educational videos, no nonsense and straight to the point. Keep up the good work!

[@easycompositestv]

Thank you John 👍

[@Pushyhog]

So glad I made this, make more, this is the majority of your customers.

[@creedworks2797]

What he said^

[@jamestrotter7852]

Have you got their sales data to back up this claim?

[@Kurzawaa]

@@jamestrotter7852 Mr fact checker over here

[@hectorcastillo3823]

4ț UK f.c.c f

[@ViralKiller]

Instead of spending 5k on overrated car parts and spoilers, I think I will invest in this...I already have experience with 3d printers, just needed the carbon fiber bit..thank you

[@nwpsilencer]

A lot of that $5k comes from having to make the mould. Doing it your self you might save 50-60% of the cost, but it's also a lot more fun and rewarding

[@tcroft]

@Elliott Pitter wow you must be so cool

[@SpaceNavy90]

@Draven Luciano @Elliott Pitter scammers

[@VoltageLP]

Exactly, and you can print a variety of pocket vaginas if you get the right filament material

[@nathanbarrett6483]

@@VoltageLP you can always use the printer to make a silicon mold ;)

[@MakingforMotorsport]

Excellent video as always! Bringing 3D printing into this is a game changer, the mould production was always the hurdle for me, can’t wait to try this!

[@robincoope5352]

I was just on the phone with our machine shop discussing how awesome your channel is for people getting into composites, and how awesome your store is for getting project supplies. Thanks!

[@easycompositestv]

Hi Robin, thank you very much. We appreciate your support 👍

[@user-cg9fe4zq8p]

Incredible, I recently bought a 3d printer to make simple brackets and interior pieces for my car, but now the possibility of making them fibreglass or even carbon fibre is amazing

[@timothyhanson7828]

Just wanted to say that this channel has been a fantastic resource for my University's UAV team. We used a similar process to produce our carbon fiber wings. Thank you so much for the great videos and keep up the great work!

[@sebastiannoriega8072]

How many carbon fiber sheets did you use?

[@alabrrmrbmmr]

I can't express how much I appreciate your thorough instructions!

[@easycompositestv]

You’re very welcome James

[@michaelgoss]

I have no idea how I got here, but now I want to make something with carbon fiber. Great video!

[@iliya-malecki]

3d printing engineer here, just wanted to say that i loved the video! And maybe also to point out that you (hypothetical "you", as a hobbyist, not as a full-blown composites professional) could pay a lot more attention to printing to make the mould almost perfectly smooth. With proper design and a good thick 0.8mm nozzle most of such shapes can be printed in a vase mode, say, at 0.04mm layer height, and then smoothed with a bit of dcm or elbow greace. Or sprayed with some coating to hide layer lines completely. Or dcm-smoothed and then coated. Or acetone-smoothed (if using abs) and then coated. Or... you know, the list of things that can make a perfect mould is kind of infinite

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. In our other 3D printing tutorial we did demonstrate using an epoxy coating and the finishing to a near perfect finish; if you’re making more than one part using the mould then this is worth doing. For a one off, it’s often easier to do the finishing work on the part (because it’s in the positive shape).

[@KarSlon1]

Why not printing the part itself, bypassing mold stage completely?..

[@pietrobarili4906]

We now want a “vacuum bagging a 3D printed mould” video! Very cool, thanks Easy Composites ❤️

[@JeromeDemers]

well it's not different then this tutorial kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZuVZ5Zpi5pnibM

[@OMEGOOLIEBIRD]

Great video! If you print with PLA, you don't have to worry about slip angles or even returns, as the mould can be warmed with a hair dryer and bent away from the part to release. It is a huge benefit.

[@OMEGOOLIEBIRD]

@@mattmurphy7030 yeah, they cost virtually nothing to print, so for single or low volume, they can be 'disposable'.. it does allow some benefits not possible any other way..

[@veldhuisracing]

Would you recommend PLA over PETG? Or are there any disadvantages to using PLA?

[@OMEGOOLIEBIRD]

@@veldhuisracing PLA is good because you can melt it away from the part at a fairly low temperature. But if you have a thick layup that will get hot during curing, the mould can distort, so PETG would be better.

[@chevy4x466]

Thx for sharing, I want to get into this. I was wondering if my pla would be good

[@carlfogarthy6508]

Excellent, straightforward, very informative! In my opinion this is one of the best channels on YT! Thanks

[@nick37781]

this is the greatest channel on the planet

[@philippotgieter1526]

You wont believe I was just showing my son(a mechanical engineer) a design to do exactly this for a part in my classic lomax 224 car Perfect timing

[@henrycollins2478]

That’s a cool car

[@carbonarne675]

Amazing sound quality and great tutorial!

[@sjkba]

This is the first video I have seen on your channel. Your shop looks impeccable. Great content! I guess this will be my next youtube / hobby rabbit hole :D

[@natecampbell42]

I've been doing quiet a bit of this lately, almost always vacuum bagging. I've found that with pla and a .4mm nozzle that 3 perimeters (1.2mm wall for cura users) and 15% infill makes a mold that can withstand full vacuum. I've had this luck with both pva and mold release wax for getting parts of of the mold, with wax generally giving an easier release.

[@GhostRyderFPV]

Surprised by your result! I would have thought infill density would have had to be much higher, glad you saved me a few passes. I was also curious if the resin curing process, and the heat, would be high enough to deform PLA, so I picked up clear PETG to mold with, and see any voids. But now I can save that and use PLA instead, and save the stringing for another project. Thank you Nate, I'm looking forward to my first layup!

[@natecampbell42]

@@GhostRyderFPV Glad to hear its helpful info. I imagine that exotherm could still be an issue for warping the PLA if you pushed it too far but I've had great success with epoxy. I've also found that for one offs it's just as easy to sand the layer lines off the finished part opposed to trying to sand the female mold before laminating. If you're going to pop more then a few out of the mold it's probably worth the time to sand the mold. I haven't pushed any of the molds to failure but i have a few that I've made 4 or 5 parts out of that seem to be in fine shape.

[@GhostRyderFPV]

@@natecampbell42 _This advice is free?!_ Seriously, thank you. You've just taken the edge off the anxiety of trying this: Will the molds last, are they strong enough at 15% infill, layer line treatment on the molds. Really, thank you.

[@natecampbell42]

@@GhostRyderFPV No problem. Let us know your results

[@bjarnec1569]

Hi, thank you both for your advices! I'm going to try this soon for the very first time. Any more tips and tricks?

[@jonlucas1576]

i do a lot of hand laid carbon fiber wings for drag cars . we spray clear gel coat first let it tack up 45 min then lay the carbon on the tacky surface the the resin, if we have a small air pocket we use a dremel to open it and put some clear gel coat in it. then we sand with 600/800 wet sand with 1000 the buff and wax. we make a beautiful part

[@Flenderr]

Super nice that you did a tutorial on this stuff. I have been experimenting A LOT with 3D printed parts and 3D printed moulds / mould masters up to 1.35m to make CF watersport structures. One thing I found on the way is that PU epoxy primer (sold at HP-text....), is a superb primer to stick something to PETG. You only need like 50gr to coat the surface on a meter long part, but after that you can laminate glass or CF to the 3D printed structure without issues. You can't pull it off anymore. Maybe Easy Composites has a similair product. :) Another thing is printing very low infill single shelled 3D printed PETG moulds, with the infill arranged as long channels (1 infill angle) and filling them up with e.g. epoxy foam.

[@SharkWhite333]

May i ask if you have experience which coating i can use to pit permanently into the negative mold? I want to get rid of all little imperfections and layer lines but still want to be able to the the molded part out of the mold

[@GrindhousePerformance]

This is EXACTLY what I was hoping to find, perfect for what I do. Thanks for your detail as always, extremely helpful.

[@hannybassfabricacionydisen8366]

Saludos y gracias por rasmitir▶️hanny bass🔊🤑fibra de carbono🤑

[@ianfarquharson3772]

Hi there. You are my latest KZbin channel addiction😂 It's awesome your showing how usable and accessible your products are for small to huge projects. Great video as always(so far😉).ThankQ. TkEZ.

[@kpogatchnik]

Really helpful video. I especially appreciate showing how to make fixes when things don’t turn out perfect the first time.

[@streaky81]

Acetone vapour smoothing ASA moulds might be a bit of a game-changer with this..

[@csabalazar8937]

hm you can smooth ASA w Acetone? Gonna try this.

[@streaky81]

@@csabalazar8937 and ABS but ABS sucks ;) Prusa did a breakdown on a poor-man's method here kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJqqYp16eqxjoaM Then again with moulds PVB and IPA might be an easier/safer solution..

[@eelcohoogendoorn8044]

​@@streaky81 Yeah just go with the PVB. Smooths fine and far better printability. Unless you are super confident in your ABS/ASA printing skills; but typically for a mold you are looking at sizable parts, so you because you got your benchy tuned in doesnt mean you are good.

[@supertedogpriken]

Thank you so much for making these videos. i have learned more from watching your videos, then i have watching hundreds of other carbon fiber videos on youtube.

[@chazbarclay]

This channel is so thorough in explaining. Thank you guys.

[@icandreamstream]

This is the perfect type of content. I wouldn't be interested in vacuum sealing for 1 single one-off part usually, but now I see the process and why you'd consider it. So now I would likely actually do the vacuum sealing process. But it's really cool to know this can be done with 3D printed molds and turn out well either way.

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks for the comment, I’m glad this video has helped to explain a good reason behind at least some basic vacuum bagging.

[@acintron3Dmfg]

I was budgeting the trip for training in your facility, then covid hold everything. Soon this is over will be there, thanks for the great contents.

[@streetsweeper2942]

That makes two of us!!

[@stevesloan6775]

Your videos are the videos that just keep giving!

[@TheWoeggil]

This channel is gold!

[@easycompositestv]

Thank you very much 🙏

[@TheJacklwilliams]

Excellent. An amazing example of how to take a part from prototype to finish. All within a short cycle.

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Jack, glad you enjoyed it.

[@philip3708]

Fantastic tutorial. There are no questions unanswered. Thx!

[@siriusbreak2212]

Seeing the prices of "carbon fiber" parts these days that aren't even real Carbon Fiber makes me wonder how much I could save in making them myself, lol. This is the 3rd video I've watched from this channel and I'm hooked! Those starter sets are quite affordable, so I may dive into one and make something simple to start. If I don't suck at it, who knows where one could go from there.

[@ALG1K]

I invested in easy composites vacuum bagging set up and I have made every single panel on my car in full carbon 😎

[@jibcot8541]

I always think of all the kids I see complaining about heavy prosthetic legs when custom carbon fibre work like this is pretty cheap and available nowadays.

[@geckomaster5084]

WOW! I never expected that you could make something of this quality from home

[@easycompositestv]

Thank you for your kind comment! I'm glad you were happy with the end result, we were!

[@sheldon...]

Another excellent tutorial with two really small details that I feel are often missed and help to demystify working with resin: cleaning the shears (I assume you just throw the brushes as they're relatively cheap) and showing the drips after it had cured (i.e. not worrying that they're there)

[@easycompositestv]

Brushes can sometimes be reused if you clean them in acetone before the resin gels. However it needs to be a good quality brush as some of the cheaper ones, the glue holding the bristles dissolves with acetone so it falls apart.

[@constantinosschinas4503]

as others commented, excellent, straight to the point videos, with great narration and pace. thanks for sharing.

[@calebverdught]

Wow, 530 likes in 2 hours. You guys have the best content! That proves it. Awesome work as always!

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Caleb!

[@mf1ve]

Commenting to get this channel more attention - I've enjoyed your videos for years now.

[@janriggert]

Exactly the tutorial I needed! Thank you so much!

[@easycompositestv]

Glad it helped!

[@ddewaard3265]

Interesting to see you using the mould straight from the printer. might want to give that a try. I've made a number of 3D printed moulds for wet lay-up of glass and carbon parts and I've always coated the mould surface with a Motip filler-primer layer from a spraycan, then sanded the surface to some 400 grit (tho it is possible to go to 2000 grit and polish the mould) untill the peaks of the printlines were visible and sanded smooth but the valleys were filled. It required much less post processing since the surface was already smooth. This is especially important with carbon fiber as you need to be very cautious of the tiny fibers you're sanding off, tho wetsanding really helps. Also, I've always liked to use 8mm wooden dowels and holes in the moulds to perfectly mate the mould sections for larger moulds that need to be glued together.

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks for your feedback and tips, that’s all good to hear and share. We’re generally a bit wary of rattle-can primers because the release off them can be a bit hit-and-miss (generally more miss, the amount of calls for help we get from customers who have used them!) so you might want to experiment with a product like XCR, it’s really an excellent way of coating prints 👍.

[@novasantosa9376]

what is the maximum temperature that can be tolerated by carbon fiber mixed with epoxy resin

[@easycompositestv]

That depends on the type of epoxy. For a typical ambient temperature system that usually around 70-80C, but we have a high temp system called EL160 which has a max service temperature of 170C and some resin systems can go to around 200C. For these high temperature systems you would always need to oven cure the part before service.

[@novasantosa9376]

maybe in the next content could you please show me how to make it for high temperature

[@MrTimmmers]

I just saw a Japanese guy cutting carbon fibre sheets with no frayed edges, he taped over where he cut first. Got a nice clean edge.

[@dr1311]

Really good insightful video. I am learning a lot from you guys.

[@AhilMohan]

This dude is aesthetic af

[@georghauslschmid1038]

Many Thanks. It's really great that you covered this topic. Compact and always to the point. That was a great help for my project.

[@streetsweeper8592]

Hey Paul, I'm so excited for the new video(posted 7 min ago) I'm here to comment before I have a chance to watch it. Always Topp Shelf content!!! Thank you.

[@easycompositestv]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@PabloRamirez-cb5zz]

This channel is just perfect.

[@davidcarltonmoreland2627]

great info :) .... I use a preval spayer to put on the pva release agent.... works real well. I usually spray 3 coats

[@ILikeDoingStuff1]

Great tutorial, except you jumped past the all important joining of the two halves to make the whole usable part (at 13:35 it looks like no join at all, which is so well done), this for me is certainly stopping me from trying this as I wouldn't know how to do that...Do you have any other tutorials showing this?

[@donr62]

Another professional and informative video. Keep it up guys. It’s a valuable service. 👍

[@twowheels90]

Perfect timing! About to make my first glass fiber part. All these videos really help

[@Aurich88]

Would sandwiching the fiber between two molds be likely to reduce cavities?

[@VacFink]

It would be easier to vacuum bag and get better results. The complexity of the model would have to account for the layers and resin and you'd probably have to iterate to get it spot on. That's not to say you couldn't 3d print a pressing block and let it bond to the pullaway layer so you can press and put weights into corners or tricky parts, but IMO vacuum bagging is still faster if it can't have flaws. This method is a down and dirty approach that is fast and gets you to a single viable part quickly. Great if you want to test a design or just need one IMO and don't mind the extra time to refine. Check out Throttle Stop Garage if you want lots of examples of large and small part hand layup bagging.

[@davidreynolds8551]

Poly vinyl alcohol is a brilliant release agent, best way to apply it is with a small spray gun or even airbrush as the less PLA the better.

[@isoslow]

Guys, you are just great! Everything is so to the point I wish all instructional vids were like this.

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks a lot, we love making them.

[@programroom689]

How thick is the coating? Are You considering the thickness od coating in design od the mould?

[@easycompositestv]

Only about 0.5mm in this case so no need to change the design.

[@grand04gt]

I really want to try it! Looks like fun.....only downside for me (besides cost obviously) would be stopping lol if i had the chance i would do carbon fiber absolutely everything lol

[@Steve-el9nt]

Very informative video and will be giving it a try, one thing how is the joining process done?

[@Tarex_]

You could print a plug in Vase mode as a quick option to use for pressure in the corners

[@0FG0]

Would you have any concerns hand laminating and vacuum bagging on a 3D printed mould, considering all the air between the infill in the mould? Would it bubble out though the epoxy?

[@easycompositestv]

It depends on the mould itself. It should not come through the epoxy itself as that is long cured by that stage but it is possible the mould may break or be damaged.

[@0FG0]

@@easycompositestv first of all thanks for answering so fast, 3 month old video and you answer within a few hours, you guys are just awesome. Definitely ordering all materials for my project from you. I'm not sure I understand, the epoxy would not be cured when I pull the vacuum, would it? Or do you mean the PVA would provide the vacuum barrier? I was thinking if I should maybe perforate the mould on the outside (not on the surface I need of course), to let air out that way. I am not expecting more than one use of the mould, so as long as it maintains shape under vacuum once, I'm happy.

[@jamesmetzger7556]

What shears do you use and how often do you replace/sharpen them?

[@easycompositestv]

Dedicated carbon shears which have lasted several years before blunting in our training room.

[@bomb_and_gouge]

Is it possible to finish the 3d printed mould in a way that makes it easier to finish the part? Are there any no-no compounds for finishing the mould?

[@easycompositestv]

You could follow the previous video and coat the 3D print in XCR resin to get a much smoother mould then have less finishing to do on the completed part.

[@bomb_and_gouge]

@@easycompositestv Thank you, I'll go watch it.

[@FranciscoCampins]

I have seen that you have made the piece in two parts. How did you put together both parts?

[@easycompositestv]

In this case a simple push button connector was used as it is a e-bike battery box. Other applications may need something different.

[@jowel9767]

Hi there thank you for your video! But I am wondering would this process without the vacuum infusion still produce parts with same strength as if you did vacuum infuse?

[@easycompositestv]

Hi Jo, hand laminating a part without any vacuum consolidation will produce a part that's fairly close in strength (and weight) to one that's been resin infused, or made from prepreg, but there will be some compromise. Generally a wet-laid part will be a bit heavier due to a higher resin ratio (lower fibre ratio)... wet lay typically yields 50/50 or even 40/60 (fibre-to-resin) whereas resin infusion and prepreg are pretty-much always 60/40 (so 60% fibre, 40% resin). If you keep the same number of layers of carbon fibre between the wet-lay and the infused version, the strength would be about the same but the wet-lay version would be about 20% heavier. You'll also get a better surface finish on the resin infused (or prepreg) version.

[@jowel9767]

@@easycompositestv okay that makes alot of sense thank you! So if I do my parts vacuum bagged I'll end up with parts that are identical in weights.

[@easycompositestv]

@@jowel9767 Certainly more uniform, yes, especially with PrePreg.

[@555vrx]

Massive thank you to make it so clear to understand and looking so easy of job, so I genuinely like to try make smth myself. Great example of teaching!

[@easycompositestv]

Glad it helped!

[@nachocortizo3321]

Awesome video! Is there anything special when joining both halfs together? Thanks.

[@hoss2200]

Still in love with your product and the tutorial. Thanks a bunch

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Hoss!

[@FirzasWorkshop]

Man this is how i imagine to use 3d print, this is a great video. Thankyou

[@easycompositestv]

Cheers Firza, appreciate the feedback.

[@antonwinter630]

thanks for creating this tutorial. i havent really thought about using carbon fibre, because i dont have the gear, but this looks like something i could try out in the garage

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Anton, yes, this is very much a process that excludes no one, even if you don’t have the printer you’ll know someone who does and the chances are they’d be happy to run a print for you, many people are just looking for genuine projects to use their printer on.

[@tomdenholm4896]

Silly question: It it conceivable to combine a 3D printed ABS mould with a pre-preg on a low-temperature cycle? I'm not sure if there's still chemical compatibility issues, but at least the cure temperatures seem like they would work.

[@easycompositestv]

We would not recommend it as you would be pushing the limits of the ABS and low temperature cure cycles can often compromise the pre-preg cosmetic finish. You would be better off using the 3D print as a pattern to then take a high temperature mould from as per this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaGtlaqorqudbM0

[@tomdenholm4896]

@@easycompositestv Appreciate the response, thanks!

[@SunsetWingman]

You should make a foam core rudder or dagger board for a sailboat. I'm getting everything figured out. I think a 3D printed split mold in two halves but how to get the foam in? Should I use an expanding foam in each mold and then trim it flush. Or finish the board, drill a hole and then pour in the foam? I'd be worried the second method could cause warping of the part. There's also a need of reinforcement in the leading and trailing edge for dings and repairs to be taken into consideration. But my main question is regarding the foam and then best practices for gluing the two parts together. I'm assuming I need an inner lip around the perimeter to bond to?

[@easycompositestv]

Often the foam core is CNC or hand shaped to fit in the middle and then laminating around it. The 2 part mould would provide the fibre consolidation and compression. Making without the foam and pouring in 2 part would also work but give it a good sized vent hole so the excess comes out there.

[@jumuworks]

Love the combination of different techniques and retro/new technology!

[@easycompositestv]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@iang438]

I'm just starting out and this is the exact process I'm looking at doing!

[@easycompositestv]

Glad to help!

[@donaldhollingsworth3875]

What is the best filament for a great surface finish? Something like a 63 surface finish you would get when machining a part?

[@easycompositestv]

We are not 3D printing experts so would not be best to advise. However you can contact dynamism here: dynamism.com/3dp-cf

[@donaldhollingsworth3875]

@@easycompositestv Thank you for the information.

[@bkailua1224]

you can also use peel ply then breather then sandbags an you almost get a vacuum bagged like part. works in areas that are impossible to vacuum bag or not critical and not worth the time to vacuum bag.

[@easycompositestv]

Any compression force is better than none so yes that can help if it is evenly applied.

[@FragBenitez]

Thanks for the video, again! Always happy to see a new upload from you guys

[@Thermikflieger007]

3D Printed moulds are game changer for hobby parts or prototypes. Really need to try that. Although I need more light parts than glossy surface for model airplanes ;) Great Video, thanks!

[@fnitschke21]

Thanks for this helpfull video. Perfect explanation. I have made my first carbon part last week in the same way.

[@sdevane75]

very interesting - you've taken the black-magic out of it!! thanks

[@easycompositestv]

Glad you enjoyed Stephen!

[@horsepowerrev7928]

Hi buds..can you make tutorial making part carbon fiber using unsaturated resin? Is it possible to use kind of resin?

[@easycompositestv]

Do you mean polyester resin? If so, then yes, you can use polyester resin. Mechanically it’s not going to perform as well as an epoxy/carbon part but it’s certainly doable. We do know a few tricks for this from our early days involved in manufacturing parts, we’ll keep the idea in mind to do a video on this in the future.

[@peterpham1782]

Always looking forward to all your videos!

[@girtssunins4380]

Would placing it in a presure pot to cure, help with some air trapped and maybe give it better properties?

[@easycompositestv]

No as it is a laminate not a casting so the benefit is not so effective in that way. Vacuum bagging would help a bit but the idea of this video and process was to keep it reasonably simple on the composite side.

[@Shadowdarknessone]

Is it possebil to laminate carbon fiber into different colours? I saw bonnets made with red and green carbon?

[@easycompositestv]

Some hybrid fabrics do exist in half colours.

[@wkl3968]

I like this DIY!!! I tried using 3d printed parts to make mould and do vacuum bagging. but I like this way method a lot. going to try it out.

[@easycompositestv]

That’s great, we look forward to hearing how you get on.

[@bizling]

With regards to the sanding the surface etc, does blasting give the same key'd effect?

[@easycompositestv]

Yes, pretty much, providing the print can take it.

[@SoarPilot]

How do you clean tools like scissors from epoxy resin?

[@AGodwin]

Acetone on a rag right after use is how I do it. Never had issues.

[@sjoroverpirat]

Hope you keep on doing a video a month! This is such great content. I've been watching for a long time, i can even remember when you had long hair.

[@emilegijselinckx841]

Is it also possible to use PLA as mould material with this lay up method ?

[@easycompositestv]

Yes, absolutely. Please read the full guide on our website for a little more info about different filaments.

[@caverlaytion]

Another great video! In the video you applied the resin coating after the laminated part was demolded and then finished it. If I applied the resin coating directly to the mold and then worked on it to leave it with a glossy finish and then laminat the parts in that mold, would these pieces come out with a glossy finish? That would be an option too?

[@easycompositestv]

Yes you can do it that way round and yes because the mould is then smooth and glossy, so should the part be. Its a good time saver if trying to do more than one pull from the mould. Just remember that 3D printed moulds are relatively fragile so may only be suited for short production runs.

[@JohnBaleshiski]

I've been looking for a method to increase the accuracy of my layups so that I can build an aircraft as perfectly as possible. Looks like my 3d printer is about to get very busy.

[@nuchbutter]

I use the Formlabs Form 3 with the Grey Pro resin. Very little post processing needed to get amazing finishes...

[@kirillbez386]

amazing and thank you! purchasing a starter kit 😀

[@benrao3297]

I’m so glad I found this channel it’s so good

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks, glad to have you on board!

[@nevillecreativitymentor]

What is the weight difference between this method and other more involved methods?

[@easycompositestv]

The laminate itself will be about 30% heavier than a vacuum bagged version, in addition, the extra layer of coating resin adds about 500g per square metre of surface area. This means, as a rough guess, this particular part is probably about 100g heavier owing to the more basic production process.

[@nevillecreativitymentor]

@@easycompositestv THANK YOU ...appreciate the answer. Cheers

[@SirShoX0r]

You're great in front of camera, great videos.

[@roscored1000]

years ago we used a small roller to give a better contact and finish to fibreglass can you use a roller on this too? Gently

[@easycompositestv]

Yes, potentially, although rollering is more successful when working with polyester resins (like you would use with fibreglass) as opposed to epoxies where they can cause epoxies to foam up a bit. Also, I think in the case of this particular part the mould is too small and contoured to make rollering an obvious choice.