[Thomas Sanladerer] wanted to make 3D prints using carbon fiber and was surprised that it was fairly inexpensive and worked well, although he mentions that the process is a bit intense. You can learn what he found out in the video below.
He used an advanced PLA that can endure more temperature than normal PLA. That’s important because the process uses heat and the carbon fiber resin will produce heat as it cures. The first step was to print a mold and, other than the material, that was pretty straightforward.
Wet sanding was quick because he simply wanted to remove any gross imperfections. The next step is to put a UV resin on the mold to prevent the carbon fiber resin from bonding to the plastic. The three layers of UV resin will stay on the mold.
The carbon fiber sheets are in different styles, as [Thomas] explains. Two mold-release compounds line the mold and you do need to wear a respirator and have adequate ventilation when working with all these resins and carbon fibers.
With the mold ready, you put down the actual carbon fiber resin and the sheets of material. Once you have all the layers of fiber and resin, you place a sheet of special paper on the back and wrap the whole thing in a cloth. The final step is to put the whole affair in a vacuum bag and then gently heat it.
The result was good, although the first attempt had some imperfections. The second test had problems releasing from the mold. But the third time was the charm. It looks like a lot of work and, of course, the 3D printer is really only making the mold — this same process would be true of any carbon fiber process where you had a mold or something to wrap.
Carbon fiber isn’t always made with a mold, of course. It can even take electroplating.
I’m kind of disappointed the carbon fibre did not come out of the print nozzle like wire in a MIG welder.
The only system I know of that does that is markforge and I haven’t seen any other products or projects trying it for some reason.
Is the reason not the higher wear off of the nozzle?
You can get hardened steel nozzles and extruder gears to print short stand milled carbon and glass filled filament, but the fibres are usually sub millimetre length.
The markforged version uses a different approach with one “extruder” tacking a length of continous tow fibre into place and cutting it off at the end, then another more conventional hot end makes a pass over the past to splurge molten nylon into and over the carbon.
You’ll want a ruby nozzle for this, even steel doesn’t last long. That said, they are available.
Probably patents. Markforged has lots of them for fibre reinforced additive prints i.e. FDM 3D printers.
Check out markforged.
That is what I was thinking too!! LOL
Printing carbon like that wouldn’t provide much strength. You need the fibers to overlap, which you won’t get with something like a 3D printer
You can get overlap just fine, what you actually want is longer fibers in a mesh and that is a different proposition. Do note though, printed parts are stronger and have interesting characteristics, so it’s not a loss depending on your user case.
You can buy something like that: https://www.3d-printerstore.ch/RAISE3D-Industrial-Filament-PET-CF-Black-1kg_1
The Markforged Mark Two
The powerful professional 3D printer for aluminium-strength parts
The Markforged Mark Two 3D Printer combines Markforged’s unique continuous carbon fibre reinforcement with workhorse reliability for the strongest, most versatile parts. It is the only printer that enables you to go from CAD to beautiful, end-use strong parts in literally minutes.
Supporting the full range of plastics and composite print materials the Mark Two 3D Printer offers the ultimate in flexibility. Thus as engineers try to reduce the effort associated with prototype parts 3D printing with stronger materials will emerge. Consequently the Mark Two from Markforged is your perfect desktop printer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRFADPv7Mdc $20,000
you can get filaments with carbon fiber in them and most printers could use that (would need a steel or better nozzle and maybe upgraded hotend). The problem though is that the fibers are extremely short so you dont get anything close to the strength of criss-crossing long fibers from a true carbon fiber layup. So basically, you get none of the value.
Maybe he need a little bit more overengineered swiss scissors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_DYOL-zGkw
Were left handed versions made?
no information but a quick online check shows that there is a new version which is really carbon fiber reinforced.
https://www.red-dot.org/project/swissors-mark-ii-63472
https://www.cet-ag.com/
Thanks!
These curved shape reminds me of the japanese hand forged hair dressing scissors. And there was something in engineering class but i couldn’t remmber. Is a curved cutting a true straight cut?
Is it possible to precut the carbon fiber to perfect fit size (with cut outs) in a plotter? So i didn’t need to trimm it afterwarts? All this trimming with a dremel is a little bit messi and the dust isn’t healthy.
Companies making bike frames definitely do this: laser cut all the pieces to size with specific fiber orientation and have a system for aligning all the pieces. That isn’t a great match for his “you can do this at home cheaply” message, though.
They cut the parts with a plotter with a knife, not a laser
The problem with carbon fiber and fiber glass is that it unravels (very easily) at the edges. So if you don’t leave some excess, then you need a way to prevent it from unraveling. Also, when molding it, it stretches out in various ways, not always so predictably. So it won’t always result in the same shape when flat, unless you have a very precise and repeatable process for molding it.
What if you sew the edges before cutting or apply some kind of glue exactly on the edges with a 3d printer?
Everytime i see carbon fiber it remind me on a article on Toool.nl a lockpicking site, one of the first articles that a read here on hack a day. There was issues with insurances because the new carbon fiber lockpicks are stiff but so soft that they leave no marks in the locks. So if thiefs leaves doors open it always look so if the owner did it.
Big thanks for past article writers here on hackaday!!!
these guys did it infinitely better IMHO and have many instructional videos. Sanladerer just did a cheap ripoff of their videos IMHO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25PmqM24HEk
Oh no! Someone else did it! Better ban everyone else from ever attempting the same thing ever again!
You can discussing the relative merits of each one, if that’s what pleases you. I’ll rather watch the video and learn something.
There are some members of the FOSSCAD subreddit that have claimed success printing nylon with carbon fiber infusion on a heavily modified Ender 3.
Disappointing results, not worthy of a HAD article IMHO.
Disappointing results still result in learning. And that’s what we are all here for.