News

We are excited to announce that Rock West Composites (RWC) has been named as one of the Top Workplaces USA 2022. This award celebrates nationally recognized companies that make the world a better place to work together by prioritizing a people-centered culture and giving employees a voice. The Top Workplaces USA award is based entirely on feedback from an employee engagement survey completed by the employees of participating workplaces.

Both our San Diego and Salt Lake City locations were honored in their local listings. Rock West’s headquarters was awarded under the San Diego small business category, as was our Salt Lake City facility. Thanks to our employees for these honors!

At the top of our list of brand values is that “our workplace should be fun, creative and empowering for employees,” and we strive to put this value into action. We are so glad that our efforts to create an engaging and fulfilling workplace across the organization are resonating with our team.

Top Workplaces USA 2022 Listing

Are you interested in a career with us? Our mission is to make the magic of composite technologies accessible to the world, and we can’t do that without the best people. Join our Team!

Rock West’s Marine division is spearheaded by Eric Thorstenson. His love of ocean sports goes back decades. Eric’s first trip to Lands End at the tip of Baja California was 1981 when he traveled from San Diego, CA to Cabo San Lucas, driving 1,000 miles south on a two lane highway. He was roughing it in a 1965 GMC metal dashboard pickup truck with cab over camper. Drawn in by Baja’s majestic beauty, sheer landscapes, pristine beaches, colorful sunrises and sunsets, coupled with its raw, wild coastline, Eric has since made countless subsequent trips exploring, surfing and diving remote locations up and down this amazing peninsula.

An ardent believer in sustainable fishing, Eric is extremely mindful assessing each fishing ground he hunts prior to taking fish. He primarily targets Pelagic fish (migratory open ocean fish), and when hunting reef fish, he only takes when he sees or knows there are several more of the same target species within the area he’s hunting. He also only takes for personal family and friends consumption, and abides by local fishing rules, regulations, and laws.

Eric spent the end of 2021 through New Years 2022 in the Los Cabos, Mexico area surfing and spearfishing in his favorite spots. He considers himself extremely fortunate, lucky, and honored to find and capture this beautiful fish. (Eric was out testing new Rock West composite fin prototypes. Coincidence?)

What: Baqueta Grouper
Where: Los Cabos
Hunting Depth: 15 – 20 meters
How: Apnea (Breath Hold) Spearfishing
Why: Testing Rock West Marine’s new prototype composite fin blades
When: December 29, 2021

Every dive this trip Eric heard the reverberating sounds of Humpback whales communicating with each other. Eric says it’s difficult to articulate the feeling he gets listening to, feeling these awesome mammals communicate in the water. Diving the same general fishing area, the following day, Eric was buzzed by a juvenile Humpback whale. The whale came within a 10-meter distance away from him. The whale was so close, Eric saw every detail as it slowly cruised by disappearing into the blue… a priceless moment.

We have been highlighted in this month’s Spotlight from the Department of the Navy’s SBIR/STTR Transition Program. We are working on a multi-year Phase III SBIR building ceramic nose radomes for the program known as Coyote, i.e., the Supersonic Sea Skimming Target (SSST). Our radome design improves performance and saves costs while enabling faster flight. This program is executed in collaboration with the US Navy and other contractors. Collaboration is in our company’s DNA; and this program, which involves the government, primes, and subcontractors, is a great example of how we can work seamlessly with others to reach an end objective.

SBIR projects have been instrumental to the growth of the Rock West Composites’ business overall. The program has turned into a significant production program for us, which is the best outcome we could have hoped for.

Here is the January 2022 Spotlight from the Department of the Navy’s SBIR/STTR Transition Program, which features these radomes.

We are excited to announce that Rock West Composites (RWC) has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2021 honor by San Diego Union Tribune Top Workplaces. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey and administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

Rock West’s San Diego headquarters was awarded under the small business category. This honor is specific to our San Diego facility, but our Salt Lake City facility was also recognized with this award just two weeks ago. Thanks to our employees for these honors!

At the top of our list of brand values is that “our workplace should be fun, creative and empowering for employees,” and we strive to put this value into action. We are so glad that our efforts to create an engaging and fulfilling workplace across the organization are resonating with our team.

The San Diego Union Tribune, Sunday November 21, 2021, Top Workplaces Special Section

Our mission is to make the magic of composite technologies accessible to the world, and we can’t do that without the best people. Are you interested in a career with us? Everyone at every level of the business is eligible for the annual All Team Bonus Award. Training and career growth is a key metric in employee reviews. Management has open-door policies, and our team takes quarterly employee satisfaction surveys to help management guide changes to improve the work culture. Join our Team!

We are excited to announce that Rock West Composites (RWC) has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2021 honor by Salt Lake Tribune Top Workplaces. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey and administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

While this honor is specific to our Salt Lake City facility, RWC’s team strives to provide a great place for people to work, learn and grow. At the top of our list of brand values is that “our workplace should be fun, creative and empowering for employees.” In addition to management’s open-door policies, our team takes quarterly employee satisfaction surveys to help management guide changes to improve the work culture. Everyone at every level of the business is eligible for the annual All Team Bonus Award. Training and career growth is a key metric in employee reviews. And the company has one of the best benefits packages around.

Even surveys on benefits help to guide improvements for the packages offered to staff. “While Rock West offers an outstanding benefits package for a business of this size, we’ve made changes to our benefits based on employee feedback. We increased company contributions to insurance coverage for dependents and increased paid time off for newer employees. I love being able to address employee concerns directly by getting real data and taking action accordingly,” says Grace Hernandez, Director of Human Resources.

Rylan Hayes, Stock Product Manager (left) and Dave Erickson, Co-Founder/VP General Manager (right) receive the award.

Our mission is to make the magic of composite technologies accessible to the world, and we can’t do that without the best people. Are you interested in joining our team? Check out our Careers page to learn more.

Are you interested in doing a project with composites but not sure exactly where to start? Perhaps you know what you want to do but just want a kit to get you going? We’ve got the solution!

Get started on your own project with our new Wet Layup Starter Kits. We have two sizes available depending on the size of your project and your level of experience. We recommend everyone have a well-ventilated workspace, a work surface that is protected from damage or will not be harmed by potential epoxy resin spills, and as always safety glasses (not included).

The small wet layup kit includes carbon fiber fabric, fiberglass cloth, resin and harder (packets), hi-temp release wax, gloves, cups, stir-sticks, brushes, and a naca duck mold for your first project, but you can use another mold if you have one. The amount of fabric and resin is enough for a small part or two).

If you have a more ambitious project in mind, the large wet layup kit includes greater quantities of carbon fiber fabric, fiberglass cloth, resin and harder (full containers), hi-temp release wax, gloves, cups, stir-sticks, brushes, and a wedge to help you remove your part from a larger mold. The amount of fabric and resin is enough for a a few larger parts.

We made some videos to help you get a visual of what is included with the orders and also give you project ideas. So take a look and order your wet layup starter kits today!

In order to attend you must register with CreatorsWanted – links below

Are you interested in a career in manufacturing? Interested in manufacturing composites but not sure where to start? Perhaps experienced in manufacturing and are considering a career move? We’ve got something great for you.

Rock West Composites is excited to participate in this years MFG Day, a national event organized by The Manufacturing Institute. It’s designed to get the workforce, young and old alike, excited about manufacturing and encourage careers in modern manufacturing. Visit CreatorsWanted.org to learn more!

“Launched annually on the first Friday in October with events that continue throughout the month, MFG Day helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders. MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.”

We are hosting events at our facilities in San Diego and Salt Lake City. Tours will take place on Friday, October 1 at 10AM local time.

In order to attend you must register with CreatorsWanted. Follow these links to register for your location!

On July 20, 2021, Blue Origin’s New Shepard program successfully launched into space and returned four commercial astronauts. It was New Shepard’s first human flight; and with more crewed flights planned for this year and 2022, commercial space travel is just beginning.

In August following this exciting achievement, we received a visit from representatives of Blue Origin at our San Diego Headquarters. For a few years now, we have been a quiet contributor to this commercial space effort.

As part of their visit, we were recognized as a key supplier to Blue Origin’s New Shepard program. Our team was presented with a certificate and flight patch to honor our contribution to the program. Also, our team received a banner we have since hung in one of our manufacturing bays. Many of our team have had experience in space programs over the years, but commercial space is a new and thrilling endeavor. We were all very proud to be recognized as a supplier to Blue Origin’s historic first human flight.

On another fun note, we received postcards for our families as part of Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, a non-profit organization that encourages younger generations to “pursue careers in STEM and to help invent the future of life in space.” We plan on sending our kids’ postcards to space on future missions. Won’t you join us? Find out how!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Celebrates the Opening of Its New San Diego Corporate Headquarters with a Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

Rock West Composites celebrated the opening of its new corporate headquarters in San Diego, California by having a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week. The company is expanding to meet increased demand for its large-scale custom composites manufacturing.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) August 9, 2020 – Rock West Composites (RWC) celebrated the opening of its new corporate headquarters with a gathering of staff and guests. Following established COVID safety precautions, the event included a presentation on the status of the business, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a gathering with lunch after the event. Pending the outcome of pandemic restrictions, the company plans to host a formal grand opening ceremony at the end of the year that ties into its 15th anniversary.

“Our new headquarters positions the company for continued significant growth,” said Jim Gormican, CEO of Rock West Composites. “This investment supports our core mission to improve services for our customers. With capacity for larger programs and new capital equipment, we can offer more options to ensure our customers get the highest quality composite products for the best value.”
Built on an adaptive infrastructure designed for rapid refitting, this new facility offers state-of-the-art flexible manufacturing. With a footprint more than four times larger than the previous site, the plant includes multiple clean room areas and allows for the addition of larger capital equipment including a new 6ft diameter by 14ft autoclave. This building also houses the corporate offices, engineering, product development and manufacturing centered around prototyping and production.

In addition to this new facility, RWC has manufacturing facilities in Salt Lake City, UT and Tijuana, Mexico.

To visit Rock West Composites’ website, go to www.rockwestcomposites.com.

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites provides composite products for a variety of markets and customers. Specializing in carbon fiber composites, RWC offers off-the-shelf products, including tubes, plates and complementary materials, as well as custom products and solutions, such as product development, engineering services, prototyping, and manufacturing. Manufacturing processes include filament winding, roll wrap, resin infusion, bladder molding, modified closed mold, and compression molding processes. Rock West Composites has facilities in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico. https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/

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For more information:
Julia Willis, Marketing Director
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

We are excited to announce that we have initiated procurement of a 14ft x 6ft diameter autoclave that will be delivered in late August and operational mid-September. Along with the autoclave, we have also ordered a full-size precision flat curing table and supplemental equipment to support its operation.

RWC has historically focused on low-cost curing methods, but this acquisition will position the business to service more high-performance industries. This strategic capability means we can service all of a customer’s composite manufacturing needs, allowing us to pair customers and their hardware with the right composite manufacturing process and equipment for the most cost-effective solution. We also have put the engineering horsepower in place to execute on high-performance programs.

The autoclave will be used to cure composite structures at up to 450°F and 225psi using pressurized nitrogen and integrated vacuum. The autoclave has programmable automated control over pressure, temperature, and vacuum and has a tight thermal gradient to meet aerospace-grade customer specifications. The temperature and pressure range allows for high-performance curing of epoxies, cyanate esters, and bismaleimides (BMIs). Complementing the autoclave is a large cure table at 6ft x 14ft with a 0.015”global flatness and steel cure surface. Download our data sheet.

If you have hardware under development that needs to meet exceptional performance standards, contact us now! custom@rockwestcomposites.com.*Photo courtesy of Bondtech

We have been in a flurry of activity in San Diego as we refit our new headquarters to enhance our business operations, including some exciting expansion.

Knocking Down Walls

Our building didn’t have doors big enough for our manufacturing equipment to come into the building. Nor were they big enough to get out some of the larger hardware we’ve built for our customers. So we had to create some new ones! A 16’ x 16’ opening allowed us to move into the warehouse and will help us get large hardware to our customers. Some new 12’ x 12’ doors compliment building access.

The Big Booths

Our new spray booth encapsulates 20’ x 27’ x 10’, shown below on the left. Directly next to it in the center is our expanded grinding booth at 25’ x 23’ x 10 ft. To the right, some of our team is in the spray booth to give a better idea of scale. All of this means we can work on larger hardware more efficiently.

More Flexible, Robust and Cleaner Operations

All the columns in the warehouse have been outfitted with electrical drops and vacuum lines, enabling rapid shifts in work cells to accommodate changing program requirements. The building also has built in redundancies to protect against power outages and equipment failure.

We not only have more levels of clean room capability to accommodate program requirements in the building, but our concrete floors are polished to help maintain cleanliness throughout the facility. Our machine shop is in a climate-controlled room with wet and dry areas segregated. Our new dust collection system helps reduce contaminants to a minimum. And to keep the noise of all the vacuum and compressions systems quieter for our staff, they are located outside the building in their own housing. We have dedicated people to keeping the shop clean and cleaning stations that comply with our 5S program.

Keeping Our Staff Growing Too

We’ve got a new training room in the works. We know that a trained workforce is critical to our success and having a dedicated space to engage in this activity will help us work towards goals. Our plan to get this room wired for the connectivity we need is in process.

We have built out multiple conference rooms and office areas because we’ve been growing fast over the years and need room for growth. We are excited to see how fast we can grow our business to fill this building to capacity!

Certain tubes we carry are always quick to go out the door, but as the seasons change, so do the most popular orders. Here is a rundown of our ten most popular tubes for the past month. They include a variety of sizes, styles, features, and price points. You may find that you need some of these yourself!

Tiny Pultruded Carbon Fiber Tubes

Two of our most popular items are very small pultruded unidirectional carbon fiber tubes. These are great choices for those seeking strength, rigidity and affordability. For 78” tubes with prices starting at either $7 for the smaller ID or less than $15 for the larger, they become more affordable the more you buy. But be aware that they may not be appropriate choices if crush resistance or torque transfer is needed.

0.079 X 0.118 X 78″ Pultruded Carbon Fiber Tube: Learn More

0.118 X 0.197 X 78″ Pultruded Carbon Fiber Tube: Learn More

Filament Wound Carbon Fiber Tubes

Three more of our most popular carbon fiber tubes are made with the filament winding process. The very long continuous fibers add to strength and stiffness of these tubes, which are excellent for torsion applications. Our customers can get very long tubes with a unique aesthetic; and since you can buy by the foot, you get as much as you need. Of these popular selections, one is unsanded and two are sanded.

0.75 X 1.05 X 12″+ Filament Wound Carbon Fiber Tube Unsanded: Learn More

1.840 X 2.00 X 12″+ Filament Wound Carbon Fiber Tube Sanded: Learn More

1.00 X 1.125 X 12″+ Filament Wound Carbon Fiber Tube Sanded: Learn More

Hexagonal Shaped Tube

Shaped carbon fiber tubing offers a lot of interesting benefits and is easy to machine. Our most popular shaped cross-section or profile right now is hexagonal and offers fabricators and designers alike the ease of affixing motors, accessories and machined features since there is always a flat surface with which to work.

1.00 X 1.110 X 66″ Hexagonal Fabric Carbon Fiber Tubing: Learn More

Spread Tow Fabric Tubing

Our checkerboard look is a winner! These tubes have higher stiffness and strength over standard modulus carbon fiber while offering a unique aesthetic. They are built with a strong core of unidirectional material at different angles and a sleek fabric surface layer. People like the style and the properties of this popular tubing option.

1.375 X 1.525 X 96″ Spread Tow Intermediate Modulus Carbon Tubing: Learn More

Fabric Wrapped Tubes

Standard fabric wrapped carbon fiber tubes are always a good choice. These three different popular options are different sizes but are all covered in a 2×2 twill pattern with a gloss finish. One is our in-house premium tubing for those with rigid engineering requirements and the other two are more economical options.

Our Rock West Composites tubes are manufactured in AS9100 certified facilities with guaranteed layups and quality materials. The core of this tube is comprised of multi-directional “uni” plies that make these tubes ideal for bending and compression applications. The fabric finish provides an ideal machining surface that will prevent fiber breakout better than unidirectional material. Looking for a 1” tube for your demanding application? Here it is!

0.938 X 1.008 X 60″ RWC Carbon Fiber Fabric Tubing: Learn More

To meet market demand, Rock West Composites also sells economy tubes and plates. These products provide a lower bar for entry for customers looking to incorporate carbon fiber and other composites into their projects. This line of tubing is sourced internationally and is best utilized in applications that do not have engineering critical features. But they do have the convenience of shipping from our Utah operation for expedient delivery. These are two best sellers.

0.25 X 0.378 X 60″ Economy Carbon Fiber Fabric Tubing: Learn More

0.625 X 0.757 X 72″ Economy Carbon Fiber Fabric Tubing: Learn More

With thousands of tubes to choose from and custom options available too, we hope that this list may help you narrow down your choices. And if you are still having trouble deciding, our customer service and engineering support team are here and available to help.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Moves Into Its New San Diego Headquarters

Rock West Composites moved this month to its new corporate headquarters, a 107,000 sq. ft. facility in San Diego, California. The company is expanding to accommodate new staff, add manufacturing space, grow capability for large-scale composites manufacturing, and meet the needs of its expanding business.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) February 9, 2021 – Rock West Composites (RWC) has moved this month into its new corporate headquarters at 7625 Panasonic Way in San Diego, California, a facility more than three times larger than its previous headquarters. While the company retains its locations in Salt Lake City, UT and Tijuana, Mexico, RWC’s former San Diego location on Precision Park Lane will be vacated in favor of the new building.

With 107,000 sq. ft. of total space, there is 20,000 sq. ft. of office space, 80,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space, and an additional 7,000 sq. ft. for general warehouse use. The entire space is not fully utilized, and the company is positioned for significant growth. This building will house the corporate offices, engineering, product development, and manufacturing centered around prototyping and production.

The plant will be able to accommodate large scale composites production and significant new capital equipment with the intention of growing the company’s already expansive capabilities to meet the space requirements of the expanding business. Its location is also close to the border with easy access to the company’s Tijuana plant, which specializes in high-volume production. The new facility has an adaptive infrastructure that allows for rapid refitting of manufacturing areas to accommodate new program requirements. There are clean room areas with varying levels of classification to accommodate customer needs.

“We are excited to start the new year in our new location,” said Jim Gormican, CEO of Rock West Composites. “As our company continues to grow, we need to be responsive to our customers’ needs and this new building with adaptive infrastructure will enable us to be efficient and cost effective in all our program activities.”

To visit Rock West Composites’ website, go to www.rockwestcomposites.com.

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites provides composite products for a variety of markets and customers. Specializing in carbon fiber composites, RWC offers in-stock products, including tubes, plates and complementary materials, as well as custom products and solutions, such as product development, engineering services, prototyping, and manufacturing. Manufacturing processes include filament winding, roll wrap, resin infusion, bladder molding, modified closed mold, and compression molding processes. Rock West Composites has facilities in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico.  https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/

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For more information: 

Julia Willis, Marketing Director
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Adds “Build Your Own Tube” Feature to Its Online Offering This month Rock West Composites has added a feature on its website allowing customers to define their own filament wound tube specifications, enabling a build-to-order ecommerce transaction with immediate check out. Currently 75 mandrels and two materials are available with three distinct performance characteristics and nearly infinite wall thickness options.

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) February 8, 2021 – This month Rock West Composites (RWC) announces the addition of a Build Your Own Tube feature to its website. The tool allows the customer to define specific attributes they need for their custom tube, provides a range of pricing based on the volume of the order, and then allows for immediate check out. It is fast and easy for customers who know exactly what they need but can’t find an off-the-shelf solution.

The customer can define the interior diameter, wall thickness, tube length, material, and key performance characteristic of their custom tube order. Current materials available include intermediate modulus carbon fiber and fiberglass (E-glass). Performance characteristics include bending stiffness, torque, and internal pressure. Tubes are manufactured using the filament winding process. Checkout is processed as soon as the customer is ready, and shipping is handled separately. In addition to the 450 base options currently available, tubes can be customized even further by specifying almost any wall thickness. RWC has plans to further expand the selection. This is only a small fraction of the off-the-self and customization options that RWC can offer customers.

“Our customers have asked for the ability to get fast pricing for custom work and easy checkout via our website, and this is answering that request,” said Dave Erickson, General Manager of the Salt Lake City facility. “Ecommerce innovation is how we grow our business and help our customers succeed.” For more information on Rock West Composites’ new offering, visit https://www.rockwestcomposites.com/shop/round-tubing/round-carbon-fiber-tubing/filament-wound-carbon-tubing/customized-filament-wound-tubing/build-your-own-tube.

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites provides composite products for variety of markets and customers. Specializing in carbon fiber composites, RWC offers in-stock products, including tubes, plates and complementary materials, as well as custom products and solutions, such as product development, engineering services, prototyping, and manufacturing. Manufactured processes include filament winding, roll wrap, resin infusion, bladder molding, and modified closed mold processes. Rock West Composites has facilities in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Tijuana, Mexico. www.rockwestcomposites.com 

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For more information:
Julia Willis, Marketing Director
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

Rock West has one of the most extensive offerings of prepreg on the market – over 25 material options. Even better, you can purchase by the linear yard – no minimum quantities! Of course, the more you buy, the better the price so feel free to pick up a whole roll.

Since prepregs begin to cure once out of the freezer, our materials can be shipped with dry ice to protect your purchase if you choose it. In fact, we recommend it. If you need further verification that the material wasn’t compromised during the shipping process, we also offer a temperature recorder. If you require certifications, we have supplier-provided Material Certifications and RWC-provided Certificates of Conformance.

We highly recommend expedited shipping, and while we can ship over the weekend, we do not recommend it due to the risk of missed delivery. During the order process you can ask us to hold the shipment until the following business day just to be sure if arrives on a work day.

If you aren’t sure about the best material for your project, we offer sample packs so you can get a variety of 6″ x 6″ swatches. Our materials include:

• Standard Modulus Carbon Fiber Unidirectional Prepregs
• Standard Modulus Carbon Fiber Woven Prepregs
• Intermediate Modulus Carbon Fiber Prepregs
• High Modulus Carbon Fiber Prepregs
• Fiberglass Prepregs (Uni & Fabric)
• Other Prepregs & Film Adhesives

So take advantage of all the best prepreg offerings on the market, for your prototypes and other small projects. Buying from RWC is more cost effective due to minimum buys and shelf life. And since we turn over the prepreg at a regular pace for most materials, our materials are current and almost always in stock.

*Please keep in mind that all prepreg sales are final, and we do not refund or accept returns on this product. We do not offer outlive tracking.

You are about to drop several hundred dollars on a new cell phone. Your significant other suggests that you protect your investment with a carbon fiber case. But you remember reading an article suggesting that carbon fiber cases mess with cell phone reception. Now you’re stuck.

Is it true? Does carbon fiber really interfere with cell phone signals? If it does, you might be trading a bit of extra protection for decent signal strength. If not, there is no reason to avoid a carbon fiber case that could save your phone at some point.

Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer. Some people insist that carbon fiber is bad for cell phones based on principles developed by scientist Michael Faraday back in the 1800s. Others insist they have used carbon fiber cases for years with no adverse effects. So who’s right? Perhaps both camps are.

Carbon Fiber and the Faraday Cage

Those who insist carbon fiber is not a good material for phone cases base their assumptions on what is known as the Faraday cage. Named after the previously mentioned scientist, a Faraday cage is an enclosure capable of blocking electromagnetic signals. It does so by utilizing a conductive material to distributes signals inside so that they cancel similar signals outside.

Faraday’s principles dictate that electromagnetic fields can neither penetrate nor escape a Faraday cage. If we apply the principles to cell phone signals, the problem becomes clear.

Carbon fiber is a conductive material. As the thinking goes, it prevents the receiver in your cell phone from communicating with a local cell phone tower. The phone case essentially works as a tiny Faraday cage. But if that were true, a carbon fiber case should make a cell phone completely inoperable. Right? Not necessarily.

Not Full Enclosures

Those who swear by carbon fiber phone cases insist that Faraday’s principles do not apply because a phone case is not a full enclosure. In other words, the only way a Faraday cage works is by completely surrounding the material it is designed to protect. A phone case doesn’t do that.

At best, a phone case protects the backs and sides of a cell phone. It does not cover the front. It couldn’t, or the phone would be unusable. This still leaves significant surface area through which cell phone signals can pass. On top of that, cell phone cases have built-in access points for chargers, headphones, etc. Said access points are also places for signal leakage.

A Good Design Works

It is possible that a poorly designed carbon fiber cell phone case could reduce signal strength for a poorly designed phone. But it is not likely that a carbon fiber case would render a phone unusable in a major metropolitan area, where signal strength is pretty strong.

On top of that, a good design solves any potential problems. For example, a phone manufacturer can place its antenna closer to the front of the phone than the rear. Just by changing antenna placement, one can overcome any interference a carbon fiber case would cause.

Hobbyists who fly model planes and helicopters do this sort of thing all the time. If they find that carbon fiber parts are interfering with radio reception, they simply change the location of the antenna and the problem is solved. Carbon fiber drones work just fine because designers make sure antennas are not blocked by carbon fiber parts.

In theory, a carbon fiber case could mess with your cell phone reception. But practically speaking, it rarely happens. So go ahead and buy that carbon fiber case with confidence.

Virgin Hyperloop made history in early November 2020 when it sent two volunteers barreling down its hyperloop track at 107 miles per hour. The manned test was the first such test of a hyperloop. The company claimed the test was a huge success, but there is still plenty of work to be done before they, or any of their competitors, start carrying cargo and passengers on a regular schedule.

Meanwhile, the hyperloop team at Technical University of Munich (TU Munich) is hard at work building a full-scale prototype of their latest hyperloop system. The team has regularly participated in SpaceX hyperloop competitions in past years, but they have decided to take advantage of the 2020 competition being canceled to move their project to the next level.

What do we find most interesting about what Version Hyperloop and TU Munich are doing? Their use of composites. Plenty of questions surround the viability of hyperloop technology as the foundation of next gen high-speed transportation. But if it is going to succeed, carbon fiber is going to play a big role.

An Education in Carbon Fiber

The TU Munich team spent many years participating in the SpaceX hyperloop competition with one thing in mind: speed. The goal of the teams is to create a tube and capsule combination that achieves the greatest possible speed while maintaining safety. To go fast – even in a vacuum tube – weight has to be managed.

A CompositesWorld piece from associate editor Hannah Mason describes some of what the TU Munich has gone through in recent years. Mason explained that the team did a lot more than design and build hyperloop pods. They actually had to learn how to use carbon fiber properly.

For example, the team learned that there is very little weight savings in carbon fiber if a given pod’s design doesn’t account for the strengths, weaknesses, and properties of carbon fiber. One of the earlier pods they built weighed in at 11 kg. After analyzing and optimizing it for the next competition, they were able to reduce the weight to 6 kg. All of the weight savings were attributed to “using carbon fiber appropriately.”

Getting It Right the First Time

Another thing the team learned was that it pays to get the design right the first time. Unlike working with aluminum, you cannot make simple adjustments to a carbon fiber part once it is completed. The design engineering has to be rock solid before you start fabrication.

This is not to say that they didn’t build multiple prototypes and adjust their engineering. They did. It is just that they had to go back and fabricate brand-new parts every time an adjustment was necessary. They couldn’t make adjustments by undoing a fastener and sliding a piece of aluminum a little bit further to the left.

Meanwhile, in Nevada

Back in the States, the Virgin Hyperloop team has built a full-scale test track in the Nevada desert. Their recent manned test wasn’t about safety or speed. It was about understanding what it feels like to travel at high speeds in a vacuum tube.

Version Hyperloop uses a ton of carbon fiber in its design, just like TU Munich. Pods are heavy on the carbon fiber to keep their weight down. As for the test track, its design and construction isn’t clear. Could it be one long piece of carbon fiber tubing? It is possible, but not likely.

Whether or not hyperloops ever become reality remains to be seen. But if they do, their construction will be a big boost to our industry. Hyperloops will not be possible without a steady stream of reliable and robust composites.

We are extremely proud at Rock West Composites to carry a complete selection of carbon fiber tubing. Our inventory of tubing products continues to grow as well. Among them is unidirectional carbon fiber tubing, the most popular form of tubing we sell. We consider unidirectional tubing the workhorse of our tubing inventory.

Unidirectional tubing is so named due to the alignment of the carbon fibers. This post will explain this, and more. Suffice it to say that unidirectional tubing is suitable for a wide range of applications – whether straight up or finished with an outer layer of woven fabric. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are interested in knowing how unidirectional carbon tubing could be implemented in your designs.

Unidirectional vs. Multidirectional

As previously mentioned, ‘unidirectional’ relates to how carbon fibers are aligned. In the case of unidirectional tubing, you can see that all of the fibers on the outside of the tube run in the same direction as do most of the other layers in the tube. They are parallel for all intents and purposes. Contrast this to a multidirectional material.

A multidirectional tube presents the telltale woven appearance. There is good reason for that. When you run fibers in multiple directions, you weave them together to create a fabric. That is the whole point of weaving. The woven appearance is what most people think of when they consider carbon fiber parts.

So why go unidirectional instead of multidirectional? It really depends on how much strength you need and where you need it. Carbon fiber itself is a reinforcing material; it is combined with epoxy resin to create a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). Most of the tensile strength a carbon fiber part offers is in relation to fiber alignment.

Strength in the Same Direction

Carbon fiber’s tensile strength tends to run in the same direction as the fibers. Thus, a unidirectional tube is very strong along its length. Its tensile strength is essentially back and forth along the entire length of the tube. By contrast, a multidirectional tube exhibits tensile strength in multiple directions.

An ideal application for unidirectional tubing is bicycle tubing. Bike designers want superior longitudinal rigidity for bike frame components. Depending on the part, they may not need multidirectional strength. However, some bike makers prefer their unidirectional tubing be wrapped in an outer layer of woven fabric. They want the look of the weave for aesthetic purposes and the fabric helps contain fibers if the part does in fact fail.

Adding that outer layer gives them the aesthetic they want. As an added bonus, the layer provides some extra rigidity across the entire surface of the frame.

Unidirectional tubing is ideal for applications involving movement and stress only in back and forth directions. On a grand scale, rocket bodies are good candidates for unidirectional tubing. On a smaller scale, unidirectional tubing is also ideal for model rockets, lacrosse sticks, and so forth.

Increasing Tube Strength

One last thing to know about unidirectional tubing is that strength can be increased in key areas by adding extra layers. Consider an application where two or three tubes meet at a common joint. If that joint is subject to stress from multiple directions, the tubing can be reinforced by a layer or two of woven fabric.

This is one of the benefits of choosing carbon fiber over metal materials. Just by adding additional layers of woven fabric in key locations, fabricators can increase strength while adding very little weight. It is not so easily done with aluminum, steel, or titanium.

Carbon fiber tubing is one of our best-selling products. If you would like to know more about it, please reach out to us at your convenience. Our tubing inventory includes high quality products for DIY and commercial needs.

He initially began this project with Rock West’s release of a new product, carbon fiber chip board, a few years ago. This chip board is known as “forged carbon” or “Damascus carbon,” which is short strands of carbon fiber pressed into a plate.He explains his creation process as, “I just dissembled the old knife and traced the general shape from the original handle pieces, then used sandpaper and hand grinders to finalize the profile. After the shape was finished, I used fine sandpaper to remove the scratches and then used a polishing compound to give it a nice smooth finish. Locating the screw holes was the most challenging part as all three holes need to meet a very tight tolerance.” Amazingly, even after two years have passed, he says the knife remains in great condition.Rock West is always encouraging engineers and DIYers alike to try utilizing composites outside of major projects. There are many simple items that could benefit from a material that is lightweight and strong, like pens, bows, or in this case, a knife.

We sell carbon fiber tubing to DIY hobbyists and commercial users alike. And while we offer to cut tubes to specific lengths, we get the fact that customers sometimes have to cut tubes themselves. This post is intended to give you a starting point for cutting tubing in your own shop.

Please note that machining carbon fiber products does take practice. Whether you are cutting, drilling, sanding, etc. it may take you several attempts to get it right. You might want to practice on scrap pieces before attempting to machine parts that will be used in finished products.

Carbon Reinforced Plastic

The first thing to understand is what carbon fiber tubing actually is. A finished tubing product you purchase from us is essentially a carbon fiber plastic. The plastic component is an epoxy resin that has been cured. Carbon fiber embedded in the plastic provides reinforcement. Why does this matter?

Cutting carbon fiber tubes generates heat. Larger, denser tubes can generate enough heat to reactivate the epoxy resin. The end result is a slight melting of the plastic material that can gum up your saw. The best way to avoid this is to choose the right saw blade. You can also use a machining liquid to keep the saw blade cool.

Choose Your Blade Wisely

Fibers embedded within a piece of carbon tubing are still fibrous in nature. They haven’t been altered by combining them with the epoxy. As such, your choice of saw blades is important. We recommend staying away from a toothed blade. Why? Because fibers can get caught on teeth. This could result in significant delamination which, ultimately, compromises the integrity of the tube. Splintering is also fairly common.

Instead, a diamond coated abrasive cut-off blade is your best bet. A segmented blade will also work, and it will not generate as much heat. Regardless of the blade you choose, pay attention to its wear. The more worn your blade, the less clean your cut.

As you cut, let the blade do the work. Go as slow as necessary to prevent forcing the blade through the material. A slow and steady approach will ensure a clean cut with very little risk of delamination. On the other hand, forcing the blade through could damage the tube to the point of making it unusable.

Secure the Tube Properly

Many a cutting job has gone awry because the fabricator did not properly secure the tube in question. It is important that you limit movement as much as possible. If tubes move even a slight amount, you will not get a clean cut. If they move too much, you risk delamination and burring.

We suggest bracing the tube against a hard edge and holding it in place with a series of clamps. If you are cutting off a small piece, no additional clamps are necessary. However, consider how you secure the tube if you’re cutting a long piece into two even sections. It would be wise to secure and clamp both ends to ensure a clean cut.

Cleaning Up

Even the best fabricators do not get a perfectly clean cut every time. Sometimes you’re left with burrs or an unusually rough edge. Not to worry. You can clean up with medium grit sandpaper using a grinder or spinning the tube on a lathe.

We carry a variety of carbon fiber tubing products in different shapes and sizes. Contact us to learn more about our unidirectional and multidirectional tubes suitable for commercial and home use. We would be happy to explain the benefits of carbon fiber over steel, aluminum, and titanium.

Despite carbon fiber being commercially available for decades, we find that there are plenty of opportunities to sell carbon fiber materials to new customers. These are folks who have never used carbon fiber before. They are just getting started as DIY fabricators or commercial operators looking for alternatives to other materials.

At any rate, carbon fiber brings a lot to the table. Designed properly, it can be stronger and lighter than aluminum, steel, titanium and even wood. For some applications, there simply is no better composite. Yet choosing to use carbon fiber for the first time opens the door to a whole new way of fabricating. Trust us when we say that fabricating with carbon fiber takes some getting used to.

Below is a selection of tips designed for people who have never made a carbon fiber part before. Suffice it to say that it takes time to perfect the art of working with this material. But once you do, you will be able to create all sorts of parts for a variety of applications.

1. Do Your Research

Research is an integral part of fabrication design and implementation. Before you cut that first piece of fabric or mix up at first batch of resin, be sure to do research into exactly which materials to use. For example, carbon fiber comes in many different form factors. We sell dry carbon fiber fabrics, prepreg fabrics, panels, plates, tubes, and more.

There are also different types of epoxy resins. Some resins are suitable for certain types of applications while others are not. You need the right resin based on the part you want to create and how you plan to create it. We can walk you through the details of all the resins we sell.

2. Check the Engineering

Next, you may want to check the engineering of the part in question. By this we mean looking into whether or not your design will actually work. For example, maybe you are planning to fabricate replacement blades for a drone. Doing so may not be as simple as taking an existing blade and using it to make a mold.

There are computer software apps that can help you with engineering problems. You design your part with the app and then choose your carbon fiber materials. It will run the calculations and let you know if your plan is sound. In the absence of software, avail yourself of online materials including videos, how-to guides, etc.

Do not stress about the engineering if you are fabricating a part for which maximum structural integrity isn’t required. A good example would be a carbon fiber spoiler for the back of your car. The spoiler is just for aesthetic purposes, so the engineering isn’t critical.

3. Plan the Fabrication Process

A lot of carbon fiber newbies get into trouble during the actual fabricating process because they began with no plan in place. Take it from us, planning how you are going to fabricate a part can save you a ton of trouble during the process itself.

Most people new to fabrication start with manual layups. They are the easiest to do and capable of producing pretty impressive parts. Fortunately, there are tons of videos online that explain exactly how to do it.

We suggest practicing with fiberglass first. A fiberglass layup will cost less. You can practice making a few parts before you invest in more expensive carbon fiber. Note that we carry fiberglass materials as well. If you would like to know more, do not hesitate to give us a shout.

Carbon fiber is one of the most popular composite materials chosen to replace metals, woods, and weaker plastics. A carbon fiber reinforced polymer offers excellent tensile strength and rigidity at comparably low weight. As with every manufacturing material, there are right and wrong ways to work with carbon fiber.

If you are a seasoned fabricator, much of what you read in this post is probably already familiar to you. But if you are new to the carbon fiber game, the four tips listed here are particularly important. Knowing how to work with carbon fiber is as important as designing the parts you are hoping to build.

1. Handle with Care

Carbon fiber materials are quite strong and durable. Still, they can be damaged with improper handling. We always advise customers to handle their materials with care. For example, carbon fiber fabric should be kept in its original packaging until you are ready to use it. If you don’t use all the material in a single session, put what you do not use back into that original packaging.

The idea here is to ensure the material stays clean. If you allow it to get dirty, fabricating will be more difficult. Along those same lines, keeping dry fabrics and panels in their packaging eliminates the risk of loose fibers flying around. You want to keep loose fibers to a minimum.

2. Practice Proper Storage Techniques

Next up, carbon fiber materials have to be stored in a certain way. Dry materials should never be stored in direct sunlight or where they can be exposed to moisture. Cool, dark storage locations are best for dry materials. If you are working with prepregs, it is important that you follow the storage instructions printed on the packaging.

Prepregs are carbon fiber fabrics that come from the factory already impregnated with epoxy resin. They must be stored in a cold environment to achieve maximum shelf life. Furthermore, they should not be taken out of cold storage until you are actually ready to begin a manual layup. If they sit around and get warm, the resin will begin to activate.

3. Wear Personal Protective Equipment

When you are actually laying up or machining carbon fiber materials, it’s important to wear personal protective equipment. The equipment you need depends on the task you are performing. If doing a manual layup for example, you will need eye protection and nitrile gloves at bare minimum. We recommend a mask as well. Always make sure your work area is well ventilated so that you are not overcome by fumes.

Cutting or machining carbon fiber parts calls for protective eyewear, heavy duty work gloves, and a mask. If you want to prevent loose fibers from getting in your clothing, wear an apron or smock as well.

4. Cleaning up Afterward

You are going to want to clean yourself up after handling carbon fiber materials. We recommend against simply brushing fibers and dusting off your skin as this could cause small pieces to embed themselves. Instead, warm water and soap will wash the debris away rather easily.

In the event you accidentally get epoxy on your skin, do not attempt to peel off. Instead, use a cloth or cotton swap to soak the area in vinegar. The vinegar will soften the resin so it can be washed off. Acetate also works well.

If you ever have questions about how to safely work with your carbon fiber products, do not be afraid to ask one of our team members at the time of purchase. We are here to assist you with all of your carbon fiber fabrication needs.

A nation’s infrastructure is critical to daily life. When things go wrong with roads, bridges, etc., people’s lives are impacted. And as America’s annual summer construction season demonstrates, the impacts often go far beyond mere inconvenience. The question is, can we do anything about it?

As long as there is infrastructure there will be a need for maintenance and repair. However, there are two things we can do to minimize the impacts. First is developing new means of building infrastructure so that it lasts longer and requires less maintenance. Second is finding ways to complete repair projects while minimizing the impact on daily life.

To that end, a Dutch company is on the verge of testing a revolutionary concept that involves installing temporary composite bridges that keep traffic flowing while existing bridges are being repaired or replaced. They have proven their system in concept. Now they are looking for five bridge projects they can use to test in the real world.

A Bridge on Top of the Bridge

The company, known as FiberCore Europe, has more than a decade of experience building fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bridges for permanent placement. Over the last 10 years they have installed 1,000 structures. But now they have a different idea. They want to apply what they know about FRP bridges to infrastructure repair.

They have come up with a unique process that builds a temporary composite bridge on top of an existing bridge to create an entirely separate driving surface. Underneath that temporary bridge, construction workers can safely address their maintenance projects. They can replace decks, replace guardrails, and so forth.

Such a system would benefit both commuters and construction companies alike. Commuters would benefit by not having to be detoured or forced to endure traffic delays caused by lane reductions. Traffic would continue moving smoothly on the temporary structure.

Construction companies would benefit in that they could do their work in relative safety. They would not have to worry about the daily risks of sharing a limited amount of space with drivers. In theory, they could get their work done more quickly because they could also be more efficient.

A Revolutionary Idea

When you step back and think about what FiberCore Europe is proposing, you realize just what a revolutionary idea it is. We have never seen this kind of thing before in the US. Whenever we have to repair a bridge, we either reduce lanes or close the structure altogether. The most complex maintenance projects can take years to complete, all the while tying up traffic and making lives miserable.

FiberCore’s idea is simultaneously brilliant and simple. One cannot help but wonder if the person who came up with it used to build similar structures as a child. As kids, we could do all sorts of things with building blocks, Lego, and other construction materials. We could build things in our imaginations that could never be built in real life – at least until now.

Strong, Lightweight, and Reusable

The brilliance of temporary bridges rests in the fact that they are reusable. Bridge structures are constructed of prefabricated components that are delivered to the site and assembled. When the project is complete, you disassemble the bridge and haul the parts away. They are taken to storage or transported directly to the next job site.

As for using composites, regular readers of our blog know the routine. Composite materials are both strong and lightweight. They are better for infrastructure than steel, aluminum, and concrete (though concrete technically is a composite). So what’s not to love about the FiberCore solution?

If you follow our blog, you know that cost has been the one thing preventing carmakers from going all-in on carbon fiber. They simply cannot justify raising the price of consumer vehicles to accommodate more expensive carbon fiber parts. However, there may be a solution on the horizon. Nissan claims to have developed a fabrication process that cuts the cost of automotive carbon fiber significantly.

Car Scoops published an article about Nissan’s announcement in early September 2020. The article offered very few details as to how the fabrication process actually works. From what we can tell, Nissan seems to be working with a process known as compression resin transfer molding. It is fairly new to our industry.

Why Carbon Fiber Is So Expensive

Carbon fiber is stronger and lighter than both aluminum and steel. However, it is also more expensive to produce. The extra expense is incurred in both the production and fabrication stages. Allow us a brief moment to explain.

Raw Carbon Fibers

Before you can make carbon fiber fabric, filament, etc., you have to produce the fibers themselves. This is no easy task. Manufacturers start with some sort of precursor – usually polyacrylonitrile (PAN). They process PAN using high heat, pressure, and a number of chemicals for the purposes of burning away unwanted material to gain access to its carbon molecules.

During the process, carbon molecules are forced to align end-to-end. This creates the fibers that are then spun to make carbon fiber tow. The tow then becomes filament, thread, and fabric.

As you might imagine, it takes a tremendous amount of energy to create first-stage carbon fibers. So long before you even think about fabricating car parts, you have to consider the cost of the raw materials. And they are not cheap.

Carbon Fiber Fabrication

Carbon fiber is also expensive when it comes to fabrication. Until recently, automation was unheard of for most carbon fiber parts. Manual processes were used to fabricate them. With manual processes come high labor costs. On the other hand, automated processes for fabricating with aluminum and steel were mastered a long time ago.

The Nissan Plan

If we understand the Car Scoops article correctly, Nissan does not plan to manufacture its own raw carbon fibers. Rather, their plan only calls for a new way of fabricating parts using carbon fiber fabrics sourced from other vendors.

Their system appears to be a die-based system in which carbon fiber fabric is placed across a lower die in the shape of the desired part. An upper die is lowered to create pressure, leaving just enough space between itself and the fabric. Epoxy resin is then injected into that space in order to saturate the fabric. Even pressure then ensures that the resin is fully distributed throughout.

Nissan engineers say they are able to visualize resin flow through the assembly with an in-die temperature sensor. They also use a transparent die that enables them to clearly see what is going on. They believe their system is capable of consistently producing parts in less time.

Automating the Process

Car Scoops seems to think that financial problems at Nissan will prevent them from utilizing the system in the short term for their most affordable cars. Like most other auto industry forays into the carbon fiber space, it will be reserved for high-end Nissan models catering to consumers willing to spend.

However, if they can automate the process well enough to bring down costs significantly, they could start increasing the amount of carbon fiber they use in affordably priced cars. Will they actually do so? Time will tell.

Image Source: Nissan

Carbon fiber and F1 racing have been synonymous for years. In fact, some of the greatest developments in carbon fiber technology have resulted from the industry’s partnership with auto racing. So it’s no surprise when F1 teams push the envelope to come up with new composites and better manufacturing processes.

McLaren has done just that by teaming up with Switzerland’s Bcomp to design a brand-new seat featuring a flax fiber composite. The seat offers the same strength and stiffness as the older carbon fiber seat on which it was based. But being made with natural fibers, its emissions footprint is 75% lower.

High Performance with Natural Fibers

A Composites Manufacturing magazine article from Kimberly Hoodin offers all of the juicy details about McLaren’s new seat. Needless to say, it is a high performance product made with cutting-edge materials. Hoodin explains that Bcomp’s design features two different types of trademarked materials woven from flax fibers.

Bcomp essentially designed a sandwich panel with a grid structure on one side and a fiber fabric on the other. The two surfaces are bonded together to create a single piece that matches traditional carbon fiber’s performance. The new seat is just as strong but with some extra advantages.

According to Hoodin, flax fibers bring improved vibration dampening as well as better compression, torsion, and strength to the table. It sounds like a perfect mix for an F1 car. But that’s not all. Flax fibers have helped McLaren and Bcomp build a more sustainable seat.

Less Energy and Biodegradable

Our industry has been looking at flax fibers for some time due to their environmental benefits. In fact, here at Rock West Composites, we sell natural fiber composite materials nearly identical to those chosen for McLaren’s new seat. As far as we know, we did not supply Bcomp with the fabrics they used.

At any rate, one of the things our industry most appreciates about flax fibers is that they require considerably less energy to work with. Unlike the energy-intense process required to manufacture carbon fibers, flax fibers are produced naturally. They automatically represent energy savings just getting them from their raw form into a workable fabric.

Flax fibers are also biodegradable. And although most resins used to bind the fibers together are not, some developments are under way to make the total composite completely biodegradable. So that even if McLaren were to dispose of a seat at its end of life, it would simply disintegrate over time. But even that is not necessary today. Natural fiber composites can be recycled. They can be ground or chopped into fine base material and reused for other products. It is a win-win all the way around.

The Future of Composites

We are no means prophets or prognosticators, but we can easily envision the future of composites being more focused around natural fiber materials. Carbon fibers are awesome. They have allowed us to do lots of things we could never do with steel or aluminum. But there is always room for improvement.

Natural fiber composites offering the same strength and rigidity open the door to less expensive products suitable for professional and home use. They also introduce new options for recycling that are just too expensive or impractical with carbon fiber.

Recycling is a big thing too. If we can improve the products that come from it, we can bring the cost of composites down considerably. That will allow industries that have thus far found composites cost prohibitive to explore their potential.

We are thrilled to learn what McLaren has done with flax fiber composites. If you would like to learn more about natural fiber products for your designs, reach out to us. We might have just what you’re looking for.

We are always looking for new applications of composite materials like carbon fiber. One application we recently ran across is a new stand-up kayak designed and built by a company run by former Olympic kayaker Eric Jackson. His creation is a state-of-the-art kayak designed for anglers. Needless to say, it is quite impressive.

Jackson’s company gave the world a look at his prototype fishing kayak in June. He hopes the publicity combined with a Kickstarter campaign will get the kayak to full production. We hope he succeeds. In the meantime, we thought it might be helpful to answer the question, “why make a stand-up kayak with carbon fiber?”

Regular blog readers might immediately assume that carbon fiber’s excellent strength-to-weight ratio is the main driving factor here. Strength-to-weight is important, but there is a lot more to it than that. Jackson chose carbon fiber for a number of reasons.

More About Stand-Up Kayaks

Have you ever been kayaking? If so, have you ever been tempted to stand up in your boat? A typical kayak is not designed for that. Standing up in a standard kayak can be quite risky due to the boat’s inherent instability. That said, there are kayaks intentionally designed to accommodate standing.

A stand-up kayak is designed mainly for fishing. You paddle to wherever you want to throw your line in, then either throw down an anchor or just let the boat drift. Meanwhile, you stand up with your pole just as if you were on a larger fishing vessel.

Jackson says that most plastic stand-up kayaks are designed with a rounded hull. They are more stable than standard kayaks, but still not as stable as anglers would like them to be. The rounded hull design requires scupper holes – holes that let water out – because the lack of stability allows water into the boat as the angler moves around.

A Planing Hull Kayak

Being not much of a fan of rounded holes for stand-up kayaks, Jackson went with a planing hull design. A planing hull is flat on the bottom and tapers along its length so that one end is level with the water. This design means more of the hull surface lies flat in the water, providing a lot more stability.

Increased stability reduces the likelihood of water getting into the boat. As a result, Jackson’s design allows for eliminating the scupper holes. So all in all, his design seems to be better. But that still does not explain why he chose carbon fiber.

Simply put, a plastic hull would not be strong enough for Jackson’s design. The only way to strengthen the hull without adding considerable weight was to choose a different material. That material is carbon fiber.

Rigid and Durable

Jackson and his team were able to utilize a carbon fiber reinforced plastic made more rigid with core materials. They came up with a super stiff hull that will not bend and flex like plastic. And even though Jackson says users are more likely to break a carbon fiber kayak than a plastic one, carbon fiber is more easily repaired and will last longer.

The end result is a kayak that Jackson says customers can “keep around for a long time.” The carbon fiber will generally hold up much longer than plastic.

And now you know why a Campaign, Tennessee company decided to make a new stand-up kayak out of carbon fiber. It is a great looking boat. Buyers will pay more for it than a plastic boat, but the stronger and more stable kayak will be well worth the investment.

The composites industry has proven itself more than capable over the last several decades. Companies like Rock West Composites have demonstrated the viability of composites as replacements for more traditional materials like wood, steel, and aluminum. Our big task now is convincing other industries to embrace more composites.

One industry that comes to mind is construction. In particular, residential construction offers a lot of room for composite materials. For example, consider the foundation. A home with a typical basement starts with foundation walls constructed with either poured concrete or cinder block.

Composites World editor-in chief Jeff Sloan wrote on this same topic in early September 2020. He began his post by describing the construction of a new home on the lot next to his. Sloan observed how long it took construction workers to install foundation walls. It wasn’t good.

Too Long a Process

This particular house utilized poured concrete walls rather than cinder blocks. According to Sloan, it took two weeks for the team to erect the forms for the concrete. Then the concrete was poured and allowed to cure. Finally, the team needed two more weeks to remove the forms and pour the floor. All in all, it took a month.

This writer used to be in the construction business as well. Back in my day however, foundations were usually built with cinder blocks. Talk about slow. Where it takes a week to erect poured concrete foundation walls, cinder block construction can take even longer.

Sloan observed, and we agree, that composite foundation walls are much more efficient and cost-effective. And as long as we are going that route, the exterior walls throughout can also be made with composite materials. Here’s the thing: resistance to composites is not a matter of building standards. Composites meet or exceed building codes. There is something else in play here.

Off-Site Construction Methods

Another thing to consider is the fact that composite components can be constructed off-site. Those composite foundation walls are built in factories by teams of workers who can fabricate wall sections surprisingly fast. Moreover, the sections can be custom-built to accommodate different sized walls.

Once constructed, the walls are shipped to the site for installation. Now, here’s the real kicker: an entire home of composite foundation walls can be installed and waterproofed in a matter of hours. Builders can save 2 to 3 weeks by choosing composite walls over poured concrete or cinder block construction.

Resistance to Change

So, if building codes and time are not the issue, what is holding back composites in residential construction? In all likelihood, it is nothing more than resistance to change. We human beings have a tendency to get comfortable with what we know. So comfortable, in fact, that it becomes too uncomfortable to start over with something new.

Imagine a builder who has been in the business for decades. He knows everything there is to know about poured concrete and lumber. He has the building process down to a science. Embracing composite materials would require him to go back to the drawing board. He would have to learn all over again. From his perspective, it is better to stick with what he has always done unless, and until, the market demands something different.

And that is the final lesson here. Residential builders would make the transition to composite materials if the market demand were there. So ultimately, it is up to the buying public. If we start telling builders we want composites instead of concrete and wood, they will give us what we want. We just have to make our voices heard.

Carbon fiber tubing has been a mainstay of our business since Rock West Composites was first established. Likewise, many of our biggest customers in the tubing department are custom bicycle makers. It is with that in mind that we recently expanded our inventory of carbon fiber tubes and bicycle frame elements in support of building better bikes for consumers.

In recent weeks we have tripled our inventory of bicycle frame products, including:

• head and seat tubes
• steerer tubes and seat posts
• top and down tubes
• chain and seat stays
• bottom bracket shells.

Our goal is to be the one-stop destination for bike builders in search of the parts they need to do what they do. In addition to carbon fiber tubes, we also offer resins, bonding agents, fabrics, and prepregs.

Building with Carbon Fiber

As a leader in carbon fiber products, we firmly believe in building handmade bikes on a foundation of carbon fiber tubing. While carbon fiber is more expensive than aluminum, the price point is justified when you consider what this material brings to the table.

Builders choosing carbon fiber are getting a material that offers exceptional strength and lower weight. Carbon fiber is heat resistant and not susceptible to rust. It also offers a very stable ride, which is especially important for mountain bikers who rely on stability to maintain control.

Supporting Bike Riders

Our decision to support the custom bike industry with more carbon fiber products goes beyond just selling to our own customers. Our decision is also one of supporting bike riders themselves. In the modern era, bikes are more than just a form of transportation. To many riders, bikes represent a lifestyle.

Riding a bike is great exercise. In a world that is largely sedentary, all of us could stand a bit more activity. The cycling community encourages bike riding as a casual exercise that just about anyone can do several times a week. We support that idea. If our carbon fiber tubes lead to better bikes being built for more riders, then we are making a difference.

Above and beyond exercise is reducing pollution by riding instead of driving. Imagine most of the residents of American cities leaving their cars at home and commuting to work on their bikes. Imagine consumers taking their bikes on quick trips to the store rather than driving just to pick up a gallon of milk or loaf of bread.

To make all of this happen, the bike-building industry needs access to materials that are strong, reliable, and lightweight. Carbon fiber fits the bill. Carbon fiber tubing is several times stronger and more rigid than aluminum. It is several times lighter as well. It is just what bike makers need to build the bikes that people want.

We Are Here to Help

Here at Rock West Composites we are here to help our clients as much a sell them composite materials. If you are in the bike industry and new to carbon fiber tubes, we would be more than happy to help you figure out how they can be best used to build better bikes. We are here to answer all of your questions regarding the best products to use and how to use them.

We also offer rapid prototyping services. We can help you design and build a prototype of your next bike. We can even help you design the production processes you will need to manufacture in large quantities. To us, it is all about supporting bike builders so they can better serve their customers.

Have you ever spent time in a natural history museum gazing at the skeleton of a dinosaur? And if so, did you ever stop to consider whether or not the bones of that skeleton were real? We hate to burst your bubble, but it is highly likely that not all of the bones were genuine. In fact, the entire skeleton could have been made from glass or carbon fiber.

Apparently, scientists need only about half the original bones from a dinosaur skeleton to create a complete replica. Furthermore, it is extremely rare for paleontologists to recover 100% of the bones of a particular skeleton. So most museum displays contain at least some fabricated bones.

From Plaster of Paris to Carbon Fiber

Having to deal with missing bones is not a modern phenomenon. As far back as the 1800s, scientists realized they needed to fabricate replacement bones in order to complete the fossil record. The go-to material way back then was plaster of Paris. It worked well enough for the day, but its obvious shortcomings soon had scientists looking for a new material.

Plaster of Paris eventually gave way to urethane foam and then plastics. But these days, museums are less likely to fashion their own bones from foam and plastic. Instead, they turn to composites fabricators who make the bones from glass fiber or carbon fiber composites.

Urethane foam works well enough for small bones that do not span large distances. It is not a good choice for larger bones because it lacks the necessary density. Solid core plastics are better for large bones, but the resulting pieces can be too heavy to safely suspend within a dinosaur model.

Glass and carbon fiber are better choices because they are easily molded into hollow pieces. Fabricating dinosaur bones with glass and carbon fiber is so effective that there are now companies that specialize in that very thing.

Off-The-Shelf Dinosaurs

A recent CompositesWorld article exploring composite dinosaur bones referenced one particular company that operates a 60,000 square foot facility in Ontario, Canada. The company possesses somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 molds pertaining to some 270 dinosaur skeletons.

This company can produce just about any dinosaur bone a museum or theme park could want. Better yet, they also provide complete, off-the-shelf dinosaurs on demand. They can even install the skeletons if necessary.

The CompositesWorld piece says there are fewer than 30 genuine T-Rex skeletons in the world. Yet hundreds of museums and theme parks have them. How is that possible? Most of the skeletons consist of 100% composite bones. Nothing about them is real.

Virtually Endless Possibilities

Here at Rock West Composites, we get a big kick out of reading stories like these. It reminds us of the virtually endless possibilities composites bring to the table. If you can dream it up, someone can probably build it out of fiberglass or carbon fiber. Both materials are just that versatile.

We normally think of carbon fiber as a material for sporting goods, automobiles, boats, and planes. It certainly meets the needs of manufacturers in all sorts of industries. Yet not many people consider the fact that the skeletons they might be seeing at the local museum are made of carbon fiber as well.

Glass and carbon fiber offer a lightweight but durable manufacturing option for all sorts of applications. Both materials are exceptionally strong. They are easy to work with and they will not rust. As such, a glass or carbon fiber dinosaur skeleton should have a lifespan of at least a few hundred years. That is pretty impressive by any standard.

One of the most exciting aspects of working in the composites industry is developing new composite materials through science. That is how we came up with carbon fiber decades ago. Scientific experimentation with different materials has brought us everything from glass fiber to Kevlar.

Now there is a new kid on the block, a kid our industry is pretty excited about. That kid is the carbon nanotube, and it represents one of the building blocks of a new breed of composites combining carbon molecules with natural fibers and epoxy resin.

A project now being developed at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa has led to a new composite material that combines epoxy, carbon nanotubes, and plantain fibers. Researchers still have work to do before their composite is marketable, but they have achieved impressive results thus far.

Composites Are Better Materials

For the record, composite materials are better materials due to the properties of the components of which they are made. Your typical carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is a classic example. Making a CFRP involves combining carbon fibers with epoxy resin via spinning, braiding, or manual layups.

Both components offer attractive properties on their own. Combine the two and you have a much better material that draws on the strengths of each component. That is how composites work. Composite materials possess properties that its individual components do not possess separately.

With that in mind, fibers taken from plantain stems have some very desirable properties for manufacturing. But those fibers are of very little value on their own. Use them to reinforce an epoxy resin in the same way carbon fibers are used, and you now have a new material you can do something with. But why stop there?

Researchers at the University of Johannesburg figured out they could make an even better material by adding carbon nanotubes to the mix. They were right. Carbon nanotubes made their composite material stronger, more rigid, and more heat resistant.

More About Carbon Nanotubes

We do not talk much about carbon nanotubes on our blog because they don’t yet enjoy widespread use in our industry. Yet it is safe to say that they are up-and-coming. Carbon nanotubes can be used in ways that carbon fibers cannot. And when combined with other materials in just the right formulas, they yield pretty impressive results.

A carbon nanotube is a molecular structure comprised of multiple carbon atoms arranged in a cylindrical structure with hexagonal covalent bonds. For illustrative purposes, imagine taking a piece of chicken wire and rolling it into a cylinder. That’s what a carbon nanotube looks like – but on a molecular scale.

Carbon nanotubes can be both single- and multi-walled. The South African researchers chose multi-walled nanotubes and added them to their formula at a ratio of 1% by weight. The result was a composite that was stronger and yet still moderately flexible.

Molding Car Parts

The proverbial icing on the cake is the fact that the resulting plantain fiber composite is easily molded at room temperature via pressure. Researchers were able to fabricate parts in 24 hours, but only after treating the natural fibers and combining them with resin and carbon nanotubes.

Their technology isn’t quite ready to produce the types of composite parts necessary for high-performance applications, but it is capable of cost-effectively producing composite parts that do not require maximum tensile strength. This suggests cheaper composite parts for things like car interiors and/or insulation panels.

What do you get when you combine plantains with carbon fiber nanotubes? A new natural composite with exciting possibilities for the auto industry.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded some $2.7 million to the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) for the purposes of developing new composite fuel tanks made mostly of carbon fiber. The fuel tanks themselves are nothing new, and manufacturers have been making them for quite some time. So why is the government spending so much money on this project?

The DOE’s goal is to cut the cost of manufacturing high-performance carbon fiber by up to 25%. With that kind of savings, it would be easier to justify manufacturing the majority of hydrogen and natural gas tanks from virgin carbon fiber. And that is important for a number of reasons, beginning with the need for an alternative to both electricity and gasoline/diesel for transportation.

An Alternative to Electric Cars

Our national desire to replace gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles with all-electrics is an honorable one. But electric vehicle (EV) technology can only go so far. Even EVs have their limits, so we need an alternative to electricity if we fully intend to do away with gasoline and diesel. Hydrogen and natural gas are viable choices.

In order to make use of either gas as a daily transportation fuel, it has to be compressed. Furthermore, compressed gas must be contained in a high-strength tank not subject to deterioration and able to withstand significant crash impact. Carbon fiber is the perfect material. But it is also an expensive material.

The IACMI, which is essentially a consortium of universities, national laboratories, government agencies, and private sector companies, is tasked with finding a way to mass-produce carbon fiber fuel tanks at a more reasonable cost. Until the cost comes down, replacing gasoline and diesel with compressed hydrogen and natural gas is simply not doable.

Going Back to the Start

This particular project is somewhat unique in that it is not really focusing on the process of manufacturing the fuel tanks. There will be plenty of time for prototyping new tanks later on. Rather, the IACMI’s efforts are being squarely focused on manufacturing carbon fiber from the very beginning.

Producing the carbon fibers that eventually become tow and fabric is complicated and energy intense. You start with a precursor, generally PAN, and subject it to high heat and pressure in order to burn away unwanted material and force carbon atoms to align in long strands.

The higher the quality of the finished product, the more energy you need to produce it. The DOE is hoping to find a way to produce the same quality without expending as much energy. If they can do that, they can bring down the cost of carbon fiber manufacturing commensurate with their energy savings.

Encouraging Industry Collaboration

There is apparently a secondary goal for the DOE carbon fiber fuel tank project. That goal is to study how collaboration among the consortium’s partners leads to innovation. In other words, the DOE wants to know if large-scale collaborative projects yield more innovations than would otherwise be achieved through non-collaborative efforts.

It is an interesting question to look into. We just assume that multiple partners collaborating together naturally leads to more input, better ideas, and new innovations. Now the DOE wants to test those assumptions by way of one of the most critical projects it has embarked on in recent memory.

Here’s hoping the IACMI accomplishes the goals it has been tasked with. If it succeeds, fuel tanks will not be the only composite products that cost less. Cheaper virgin carbon fiber ultimately means cheaper composite parts for nearly every industry. That is why this project is so important.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rock West Composites Receives Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award

Rock West Composites receives Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award for consistent performance excellence over a twelve-month period from 2018 to 2019.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) August 31, 2020 –Rock West Composites (RWC) today announced that it has received a 2019 Boeing Performance Excellence Award. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance. RWC maintained a Silver composite performance rating for each month of the 12-month performance period, from October 2018 to September 2019.

This year, Boeing recognized 357 suppliers who achieved either a Gold or Silver level Boeing Performance Excellence Award. RWC is one of only 295 suppliers to receive the Silver level of recognition.

“Making our customers competitive is part of our core mission, and to achieve this we must meet stringent cost, schedule, and performance requirements,” said Jim Gormican, the CEO of RWC. “We strive to do this for all our customers, so we are really proud of our team that worked on the contracts that contributed to this award.”

To visit Rock West Composites’ website, go to www.rockwestcomposites.com.

About Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites provides composite products for a variety of markets and customers. Specializing in carbon fiber composites, RWC offers in-stock products, including tubes, plates and complementary materials, as well as custom products and solutions, such as product development, engineering services, prototyping, and manufacturing. Manufacturing processes include filament winding, roll wrap, resin infusion, bladder molding, modified closed mold, and compression molding processes. Rock West Composites has facilities in San Diego, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Baja California, Mexico. https://www.rockwestcomposites.com 

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For more information:
Julia Willis, Marketing Director
Phone: 858-537-6260
Email: marketing@1rockwest.com
Website: www.rockwestcomposites.com

Here are just a few more highlights from our Quaranvent Design Competition.

Venturing out during quarantine can be risky so limiting contamination is key. Our own Pedro Lara created a way to stay safe at home with a foot activated door opener and sanitation station to keep things separated from other parts of the house when you enter.

Samuel Douglas created an extremely tough face mask, a project driven by his own experience riding motorcycles and getting hit in the face with a pebble at high speed. He built this project to use as PPE (with a proper carrier) and to protect the face during motorcycle rides. Watch this cool video about this project build! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EcNjfCEpHGOjZMK57OiJBb6yR2-PtHAm/preview

One of the more conceptual entries was Paul Messenger who wanted to make his dream of a flying trike into reality. His vision is a vehicle based on the concept of flying a hang glider mixed with a reverse trike. Looks cool to us!

Thanks again to everyone who participated! Keep an eye out for us here on our blog and on our social channels because next year we may do another design competition and we’d love for you to join the fun.

Welcome to our second post highlighting entries from our recent Quaranvent Design Competition. From fitness solutions to artful decor, you’ll find creativity in these innovative submissions.

Kyle Hawkins, a recent graduate, entered his Hollow Beam Longboard. His goal was to make a skateboard that would “actually put up with carrying around with you after arriving at your destination area (town/city riding) as well as take to your favorite high speed hill without a second thought.” Check out this great video on his project.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xN4iDW6YHuw%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.rockwestcomposites.com

Perry Benson submitted a design for a foldable, compact, lightweight gym made from our tubes and CARBONNect. It was designed to help people maintain physical (and emotional) fitness during quarantine while their gyms are not accessible. The structure supports elastic bands at multiple points enabling a wide variety of exercises. Check this out!

Allan Abbott, MD, points out that no one has yet invented a practical human-powered device or vehicle that helps able-bodied humans run better. But he’s working on it! He’s designed running poles with the intent of using the strength of the arms to help reduce the impact of running and walking on the lower body. Dr. Abbott actively uses his design for his own runs and has gone through several iterations. If it’s hard to envision how these work, he has a video that shows a version of the running sticks in action.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_5JUfgB-RWM%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.rockwestcomposites.com

In one of our artistic entries, Daniel Segraves envisioned an algorithmically produced semi-custom series of shelving structures for the high-end contemporary collectible design market. Inspired by organic forms, this design makes good use of carbon fiber to support shelf loads. Here’s the Antipatharia Shelf System.

Thanks again to everyone who entered our contest! We’ll have more highlights soon.

We are highlighting several entries from our recent Quaranvent Design Competition. We had a lot of fun reviewing people’s submissions and wanted to share their ideas with all of you. We’ll start with a few and share more later.

Chris Starnes made a bunk bed for his dogs! He used carbon fiber tubing to help construct this space-saving solution. He did not have enough room in the back of his truck for all of his dogs, and he needed something strong enough to hold their weight without collapsing. This bunk bed will fit any crew cab ford. With a lot of dog lovers and owners on our team, this was a very popular idea!

David Johnson, who uses a wheelchair, submitted his CojoTruk, which is a trike wheelchair designed specifically for outdoor use. Considering a host of logistical challenges he faces when going out for errands, he is trying to fill a personal need because there are currently no available market solutions. Learn more about his innovative personal project in this short video.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=VmyM7xYZL4Y%3Fenablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.rockwestcomposites.com

Kyle Gavin of We Fly VR introduced us to his patent-pending BlackBird 360, an omnidirectional camera platform for shooting aerial AR/VR/MR video, without shooting the platform itself – no editing necessary. We were excited to see our product in the submission. Take a look at this beauty.

Lt Col Jeffrey Naff entered his and his son’s handcycle design. They are designing and building this handcycle for Jeffrey’s wife Denise, a paraplegic who utilizes a wheelchair for mobility. The goal is to have a lightweight, high-end handcycle to have family cycling outings for fun and exercise. Here’s the CAD model. We look forward to seeing the completed project!

These are just a couple of highlights of the wonderful and innovative ideas from our community. We’ll bring you more submissions soon. Thanks to everyone who entered our contest!

Dear Valued Customers,

With the changing situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to inform you of the current status of Rock West business operations. Rock West Composites is part of the Critical Infrastructure Sectors, and we continue to operate our facilities in San Diego and Salt Lake City in full capacity.

At the beginning of April, we suspended operations in our Tijuana, Baja California facility due to a national health emergency declared in Mexico, which was extended until the end of May. The facility is now back at full operational capacity. While recreational travel is currently prohibited in either direction across the US and Mexico border as a joint initiative to prevent the spread of COVID-19, business travel is allowed and our operations are not impacted.

We continue to monitor the situation daily and make decisions based on the guidelines set forth by the U.S. Government, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization. We recognize our role in protecting our nation’s infrastructure and protecting employee safety, and we take this role seriously. We are doing everything possible to honor commitments to our customers by completing programs on time.

Thank you for your attention and your business. Please stay safe!

There are numerous ways to fabricate composite parts utilizing carbon fiber and glass fiber. One method is the manual layup, a method that sometimes relies on vacuum bagging to help the materials consolidate more uniformly. Vacuum bagging is a procedure that is utilized both commercially and by DIY fabricators.

We have written this post to introduce our readers to the concept of vacuum bagging, what it does, and how it works. Note that we sell vacuum bagging kits and supplies. In fact, we have everything you need to complete manual layups at home or in your professional shop.

The Point of Vacuum Bagging

It is not absolutely necessary to vacuum bag composite parts. So why do people do it? If you were to create a carbon fiber body panel for a classic car, you would start by creating a mold, or a tool as we call it in the industry. You would then lay carbon fiber fabric on the mold and cover the fabric with epoxy resin. Then another layer of fabric and more resin, continuing until you built it up to the thickness you wanted.

At that point, you could let it cure as-is. But if you wanted to guarantee that air is removed and the resin is equally distributed throughout the fabric, you would turn to vacuum bagging. The process of vacuum bagging is intended to more fully consolidate resin and fabric so that the finished product offers consistent strength and integrity throughout.

Vacuum bagging sucks all of the air out of the layup ensuring you create a part with minimal defects. The end result is a more consistent layup that cures into a more uniform part. That is really the long and short of it.

How It’s Done

The nice thing about vacuum bagging is its simplicity. It is as easy to do as it is to understand. Once a layup is complete, you apply a peel ply layer to help remove the finished part later on, followed by a breather layer that allows air to escape while simultaneously absorbing any excess resin. The entire layup is then covered with the vacuum bag and sealed around the edges.

Next, you connect hose and pump. Turning on the pump sucks out all of the air and creates a bit of pressure. From this point, you can leave the layup alone and let it cure in place or put it in an oven. In some commercial settings, the vacuum bag layup is put in an autoclave for curing.

Pros and Cons of Vacuum Bagging

Vacuum bagging offers benefits that make it the right choice for some projects. First and foremost is consistency. You just get more consistent parts this way. Another benefit is quality. If you need a high-quality part for which structural integrity is non-negotiable, combining prepregs and vacuum bagging is the way to go. The fact that the vacuum bag creates pressure on its own eliminates the need for autoclave curing in some cases (but not all) saving money by saving energy.

In terms of the cons, let us talk about pressure again. Autoclave curing relies on a combination of temperature and pressure to consolidate resin and fabric. High performance parts are typically cured in an autoclave. Thus, the advantages of vacuum bagging are diminished. With vacuum bagging, you also generate waste.

Vacuum bagging is a great practice for DIY fabricators. There are plenty of online videos explaining exactly how it’s done. In the meantime, feel free to contact us to order your vacuum bagging supplies. Don’t forget to ask about our fabrics and resin too.

Rock West Composites has its products on tonight’s 2-hour season premier of BattleBots, June 23, 8/7c on ABC!

We sponsored George Matus Jr. and his team by donating all the composite materials including CARBONNect components that make up the airframe of his competition Drone. We look forward to seeing the results!