IF YOU HAVE THE PATIENCE - YOU CAN CREATE CARBON FIBRE COMPONENTS IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN.
Carbon fibre, a material renowned for its strength and lightness, has a history rooted in the mid-19th century. The first known carbon fibres were created in 1860 by Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, an English physicist, and it wasn’t used how you’d expect - it was for filaments for early incandescent light bulbs. These first fibres were made by carbonising cellulose-based materials, such as cotton or bamboo, in a controlled atmosphere to prevent combustion. In 1879, Thomas Edison (yes, the one who screwed over Nikola Tesla) improved on the process by using carbonised bamboo filaments in his own light bulbs. These fibres were functional but brittle. The true evolution of carbon fibre began in the 20th century with advancements in polymer science. In 1958, American physicist Roger Bacon, developed high-performance carbon fibres by heating rayon in a high-temperature furnace. This process resulted in great tensile strength and stiffness but ended up being rather expensive to manufacture so no one cared. The biggest breakthrough came in the early 1960s when British scientists at the Royal Aircraft Establishment developed carbon fibres using polyacrylonitrile (PAN). PAN-based carbon fibre offered a superior strength-to-weight ratio and became the foundation for carbon fibre as we know it today. Carbon fibre is classified based on its tensile modulus (stiffness) and tensile strength. Standard Modulus (SM) is the most widely used type with a good balance of strength, stiffness, and most importantly - cost. A level up on that is Intermediate Modulus (IM). This kind has higher stiffness than SM so it’s common in aerospace and high-performance applications. Yet another level up is High Modulus (HM), this is a lot stiffer but that means it’s more brittle while also being more expensive. You’ll find this in things like satellites and premium sporting goods.
The highest rating is the Ultra-High Modulus (UHM) - this one is rarely used due to its high cost, and is used in niche industries requiring extreme stiffness like monocoque chassis and passenger cells of some racecars. Most of the different types are made in a similar way. It starts with spinning the precursor material into fibres. These are then chemically treated to stabilise their structure and then heated to high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment to remove non-carbon elements, leaving behind carbon atoms. After this, the fibres are treated with resins to improve ability. A protective coating is applied to the fibres to enhance handling and compatibility with composite materials. Over time, advancements in automation, precursor materials, and processing technologies have significantly reduced costs, making carbon fibre more accessible, but someone hasn’t told this to the people who manufacture all the bits I want for my car. Different types include Resin Transfer Molding, a method for infusing resin into carbon fibre preforms, enabling faster production of complex shapes. For Prepreg Technology, the fibres are pre-impregnated with resin to allow for precise control over material properties - this is the most common type we see on aftermarket car bits and pieces. Processes are still improving, these days techniques like 3D printing with carbon fibre composites are revolutionising production by reducing waste and costs. Well, the costs come down on large production runs, otherwise it’s still niche and costs are still not palatable. Well, not for freelancer writers anyway. There are ways to save on costs for carbon fibre parts, as seen in this video from Easy Composites Ltd. Well, easy is relative, but it is a way to save some money. While these are technically classed as skinned carbon fibre, the end result is more than good enough for what I’d like on my car, but my wife will de-wors me if I attempt to use the stove…
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows you how to create your own awesome carbon fibre components at home. As is the norm, this video makes it look easy, and it will likely eventually become easy with practice. Which is why most people will probably just fork out the mad money to buy the carbon parts they want: Complete Process of Copying a Part in Prepreg Carbon Fibre | Easy Composites Ltd
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