Rapid tooling for carbon fibre compression moulding

Abstract

The aim of this study is to produce more cost effective carbon fibre (CF) parts. To achieve this there must be a saving on materials, labour and time. Thus, a production process to produce cost effective CF moulds while saving time and money is required. This procedure must be suited for the incorporation in the small to medium production ranges. The composite industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Therefore, the faster a mould can be produced, the faster the end product will reach the market. This research project investigates the possibility to sinter CF moulds on the Electro Optical Systems (EOS) Laser Sintering (LS) machine cheaper and faster than the conventional method using computer numerically controlled (CNC) machining. The surface finish produced on the LS machine is not of the same quality as a CNC machined mould, but there are ways to enhance the surface quality of a LS part to the point that it is compatible to the surface quality of a CNC machined mould. The CF moulding process uses many different types of moulding processes. However, it is not possible to use LS parts for all of the available processes to produce CF parts. In this study only one CF moulding process will be investigated, namely compression moulding. The moulds will be designed to be manufactured as cheaply and as quickly as possible. Different methods of mould adapting have been studied to find the cheapest most suitable method of mould design for the LS process.