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Process Characteristics | Hand Layup | Infusion | Prepreg |
|---|---|---|---|
Complexity | Easy to do, similar to paper mache. | A lot more materials involved but once everything is set up, pulling resin is easy. Most difficult part is the setup | Easy to do, cloth is already pre-impregnated with the correct amount of resin so no other steps needed. Most difficult part is curing in the autoclave |
Material & Equipment Cost | Low cost since you’re doing everything by hand | A lot of materials and equipment involved so cost is a bit higher, although some things such as vacuum bag are cheap | Need an autoclave to cure parts (expensive) |
Manufacturing Time (excluding cure) | More time since you’re doing everything by hand | Can be slow due to the extra setup, but once you lock down your process then it can become more efficient | Less time since all you need to do is lay your cloth and pull vacuum |
Cleanliness | Messy since you’re dealing with loose fibers and resin in an open spaceLearning Curve | If done properly, can be pretty clean since everything is contained in the vacumm bag | Cleanest since you’re not dealing with liquid resin |
The basic steps to infusion are:
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