First off these plugs are intended for use in the Vacuum Infusion Process.
Read: This is a VERY similar approach to what we are trying
My Files
Resin_Transfer_Molding.pdf
Summary;
We made a "plug" or "pattern" which is pictured above. There are three posts about the process we went through to make that, the products that we used etc. Then we used the plug, made a shadow box, applied gelcoat, then made the first side of the mold. Once that was completed we flipped the whole thing over, plug still inside, and gelcoated/reinforced the second half of the mold.
Our next step will be to make "inserts" to go into the mold we already have to represent the glass in the final product. With the inserts in the mold we fill it with pour foam. Once the foam is cured, we remove the inserts, giving us a nice foam core to lay the dry glass onto before we place it in the final mold for infusion. If all goes well, we should end up with a monolithic, foam core blade with somewhere around 60%-70% fiber content (not including foam weight).
If I were only looking to make one set of these blades I would not go with this process. I would most likely not even use composite construction at all. Though if I was inclined to make a one-of composite blade, I would use the process that we used to make the plug, with more glass.
"Don't worry about tomorrow, plan for it."
[ Parent ]
