Trying to find a source for carbon fiber sheets that are already finished and I am having a hard time. Anyone know of any suppliers for pre-finished carbon fiber sheets?

 

Are you loking for fabric (if so what weave type), tape for a composite layup or an actual CFRP cured sheet?

For fabrics and resins ebay has a pretty good selection of materials from various shops and sellers. Good equipment for the hobbyist.

If you're really serious about making a composite component, you're in luck cuz you live in Seattle. There are a lotta small and large businesses that support Boeing's need for composites and you can get pretty much anything if you've got the $ for it.

 

How big of sheets do you need? I can probably whip some together if they are small.


Or try here; http://dragonplate.com/

 

Drivesolo,
I am looking for actual cured sheets. You would think that living in Seattle, it would be easy to find some who either makes plain finished sheets or sells them but no luck! I have called every type of company that I can find in the yellow pages that might deal in carbon fiber and I have only been able to find two companies that sell the raw cloth and resins but no finished sheets! I even tried Boeing surplus and was told there (by some very helpfull people) that it is rare that they ever get any carbon scrap and when they do its gone immediately, the gentleman there also told me he gets at least 2-3 request for it a day! If you know of any company let me know.

Zillinois,
I am looking for sheets to make two door panels, a panel for the rear trunk area and some smaller pieces for gauge plates in the center dash (to cover the whole were the radio was and the upper storage cubby). I am trying to get roughly 4'x4' sheets to cut these panels out of (and I figure I can make the dash pieces out of the left over). Let me know what you can do. I'm a real PITA for detail so the quality has to be very good (If you saw how clean and nice my racecar is you would understand....)

Alex

 

Yeah, you'll almost never find carbon composite parts at the Boeing Surplus. They do sell tows of composite fibers and even rolls of prepreg tape, although usually well past their expiration dates so they're essentially useless, and I don't think I've ever seen carbon fabric/cloth there either in any form (dry or prepreg). I've had my eye out for that stuff there too since I'm looking to do some composite work this winter.

If I could make a recommendation: if the parts that you're constructing don't have to take any structural or dynamic loads or don't need that finished carbon fiber fabric look; you might consider using the single harness fiber glass cloth that you can find at pretty much any auto supplies store (w/ the acompanying resin).

Fiber glass has quite a good relative strength in comparison to carbon/graphite however relative stiffness it considerably higher for carbon/graphite. There's a book called Competion Car Composites that pretty much shows you how to do your own lay-ups, it's pretty good, but they only mention vacum bagging techniques. It's pretty much simple stuff most guys can do in their garage. If you do decide to fabicate your own parts lemme know, I'd like to see what you're planning to do and maybe I can offer you some help.

I have some glass/aluminum honey comb core boards (i.e: floor panels purchased from the Boeing Surplus) but nothing that is 4' x 4' and since it's a sandwich structure, it would be too thick for any dash application.

 

Triumph Group in Spokane?

BC

 

Didn't those guys acquire Boeing's Spokane shop(s)?

 

Yes

BC

 

Have you tried www.SelectProducts.com They sell premade sheets of carbon I believe and also sheets with resin.

 

Drivesolo,
If I had the time to do it myself I would, I have had no problem finding carbon fiber cloth etc in Seattle, just dont have time to do it (with a wife that wants things fixed around the house, a 3 and 1.5 year old boys to take care of and trying to squeeze in what I can on the racecar....) It would be alot easier to just purchase the sheets and cut them to fit (and even then I will probably have to negotiate with the wife for the time to do it!). If you are going to do some Carbon-Fiber work over the winter, maybe you would be interested building me the sheets and selling them to me?

BA Cutler,
Do you have a contact # for the Triumph Group? and what do they do exactly?

DManG281,
thanks for the link, I checked them out but their prices are a little high, I have found a place that sells 3'x4' sheets for $239 a sheet, and I think even that is a little on the high side.

 

http://www.robotcombat.com/marketplace_carbonfiber.html

This place sells cured CF sheets, i have bought from them before. However, be warned that sheets that are already cured are virtually impossible to work with, and any bending you will cause cracking pretty easily.

 

Along,

No, I don't have a contact number, nice folks though. They are a aerospace composites shop.

BC

 

Thanks, I emailed their sales guy, I'll let you know what he says