Motorsport Composite Fundamentals: Lamination
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Lamination
02.57
| 00:00 | We now have all our materials ready, a plan in mind and our mould prepared with release agents and potentially also a gel coat that has cured. |
| 00:08 | So, we're ready to start working on our lamination. |
| 00:11 | If we're going to use a resin bog, this is the time to mix one up, thicken some of our laminating resin to a peanut butter consistency with fumed silica. |
| 00:19 | The mixture can be catalyzed based on the volume of the resin and mixed thoroughly before being painted into the sharp corners and details of our moulds. |
| 00:28 | Once any resin has catalyzed, we need to be aware of the pot life and working time of the resin. |
| 00:33 | At this stage we can pour out, add catalyst or hardener to the laminating resin and mix thoroughly in a container. |
| 00:39 | As always, the exact process will depend on the specific part, mould design and the layout that we're doing. |
| 00:45 | But the typical approach is using a brush to coat the mould surface or the back of the gel coat in resin. |
| 00:50 | We then lay down the reinforcement and fully wet it out with our brush. |
| 00:54 | As we build up our required number of layers, potentially in a specific order if we're using different weights of reinforcement, we use a brush, roller and sometimes tools like a dibber to consolidate the laminate against the mould surface and drive out any air bubbles. |
| 01:09 | Excess resin can often be driven out with the roller or a squeegee. |
| 01:12 | The aim is to get a consistent laminate thickness with no voids or pockets of resin with no reinforcement. |
| 01:19 | Excess resin won't only increase the weight of the part, but could also cause hot spots when curing, leading to weak areas. |
| 01:26 | Again, that's just the primary actions of hand lamination. |
| 01:29 | The exact process will vary depending on the layers of reinforcement we apply in the stages we work in. |
| 01:34 | Once the layout is complete and we're happy with the consolidation, it's simply a matter of allowing the layout to cure. |
| 01:40 | We're only focusing on open cures in this course, so the main things to consider here is the ambient temperature and allowing enough time before demoulding, which we'll cover in the next step. |
| 01:51 | The last important process of the lamination stage is disposing of excess catalyzed and exothermic resin safely. |
| 01:58 | Usually, this means dispersing into smaller volumes that can cool easier, allowing it to cure fully, at which point they're safe to mix with our trash. |
| 02:07 | With that, let's recap our lamination stage, which begins with a fully prepped mould, with release agents applied, and potentially a gel coat. |
| 02:15 | If we're using a resin bog during hand lamination to prevent voids, it can be created by thickening some of the laminating resin with fume silica and catalyzing, then applying it to the detailed areas, sharp edges, and the corners of the mould surface. |
| 02:30 | The resin can also be catalyzed at this point in a wet coat applied to the mould surface. |
| 02:35 | Once we've catalyzed any resin, we need to keep the pot life in mind. |
| 02:39 | The typical approach to hand lamination is simply layering up the reinforcement, fully wetting out, and consolidating each layer. |
| 02:46 | Once we're happy with the layup it's left to cure, and we must dispose of any excess catalyzed resin safely to avoid fire risks. |
