Anyone suggest a carbon fibre producer than can make one off parts, looking for some heat shields for an exhaust system.
do you have the heatshield already, as in do you need a copy off of an original but in carbon or a true one off?
Tony Brancato and Brancato Engineering Oxford way did some stuff for me but, tbh, that was a few years ago. He even gave me the mould he built
Blimey you done well! I wanted to pay him what he charged for a set of panels just to use his moulds to make my own and he was having none of it! Have you thought of having a crack yer self?
Yes Sev I do have the original shields, they're about 5 inches long, rounded corners with holes in ( not sure that matters ) and obviously curved so quite difficult to copy I would have thought ? Considering the above not sure I could make myself.....is their a kit or something you can buy ?
Plenty of videos on you tube showing how to make the molds and the finished carbon. Kits are available on e-bay. Steve
It's quite simple really, and as youo have an original to take a mould from it won't be at all difficult. I'd be more than happy to make it for you. Just buy the materials. The biggest cost really is the mould. Once that's sorted the part that comes out o it is relatively cheap by comparison. I could even tick it on here as a simple tutorial. Most of the metal parts a a doddle as they'll be a simple pressing.
Just for interest, these have a seven min video in the add. Carbon Fibre/Fiber Laminating Starter Kit - Epoxy Resin, Cloth Weave/Mat & PVA | eBay Steve
check out this lot: Carbon Fibre Cloth, Epoxy Resin, Kevlar, Diolen, Equipment and Supplies for Advanced Composites - Easy Composites their video tutorials are top notch - your one stop shop.
These guys happen to be next door to where I work. Home - Composite Technologies ltd I had a chat with them today and they would be able to make the parts from the original using a low cost moulding system. Also open to one off and short runs. They can do full carbon and cosmetic carbon backed with e-glass if cost is important. You could possibly reduce your cost if you do a group buy.
QB carbon used to do custom one offs and short runs, been a while since I last dealt with them, but, worth asking.
CT are an alright crew - if you're going to pay someone to do it use them over QB as they'll use pre-preg whereas QB are wetlay. Just remember that the biggest cost is your mould unless whever you get to do it will swallow the cost and then churn out the item themselves. CT, if they have to make the mould will still work out more expensive than QB - after all they've got a full on facility to maintain and with their customer base and the sort of work they get in they're a totally different level to the likes of QB - although for the market they cater to QB are also very good. You may find that QB already might have a mould for that heatshield as it was the sort of thing that moved by the truckload back in the day. If anything the difference between CT and QB will be that the CT stuff will be pre-preg and epoxy resins, the QB will be wet-lay and polyester resins. Both will do what you need.
the price between clagging and clave won't be that much different on that heatshield - there's enough offcuts in teh bin to negate the material costs and I'd rather that than mixing a pot up and bagging it.
Judging by the quantity of BTTC, F1, F3, single-seater bits coming and going, I bet there is a fair amount of pre-preg off cuts.
I've contacted QB and awaiting a cost. Didn't think they'd do one offs but they said they'd have a look. Who's Oronero ?
frikkin expensive from what I heard. They made Pablo Pirates's bits on his bike so he'd be able to give you prices compariatively for tooling etc. see what they come back with. if all else fails I'll make it for you. @Duke; always is, especially now as there's going to be all the out of life stuff which is still usable and also the ramp up for build season for the 2015 F1.
"CT, if they have to make the mould will still work out more expensive than QB - after all they've got a full on facility" Sev they moved in last year, so have a bigger facility now.
Sorry Duke, what I meant was that CT's overheads are greater than QB's. Ct will have a couple of autoclaves, a couple of ovens as well as the freezers required to keep material and probably a cutter to nest and template the kits which the laminators will use. Also with the customers they're used to dealing with their flat rate will be a bit more expensive than someone like QB, who have an oven I think and a way smaller unit. If they're doing work for caterham F1 I hope they get the money up front.
