You can see the fixture in action here. You can see 24
oz/yd2, plainweave fiberglass here and here.
Currently ~500 yards of this fiberglass are also for sale. |
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This UV light bank is currently
for sale: best offer. An additional case of the FR72T12/BL9/VHO-1/P
light bulbs are also for sale. The bulbs are six feet long and
the fixture uses 18 bulbs for a layup area of five feet by six
feet. The custom metal fixture is used in conjunction with an
electronic hoist, which are readily available at many retail
locations. This light bank cures UV resins in 10 minutes and
has built in spacing bars at either end to proper place the lights
above the layup. |
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You can see the fixture in action here. You can see 24
oz/yd2, plainweave fiberglass here and here.
Currently ~500 yards of this fiberglass are also for sale. Contact
Dream
for more information. |
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Vacuum Infusion Process has been around for 20 years
or so. Only recently has this method started to gain a foothold
in the composite's industry. Infusion in general, as their are
at least a half dozen common forms of infusion, is now one of
the fastest growing techniques. By combining infusion with a
UV resin, multiple benefits can be achieved. The UV resin is
a one part mix, a vinyl-ester resin, that is unaffected by heat
and time, unlike epoxy resin systems. The UV resin can sit on
reinforcement (fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber, etc.) for an
indefinite amount of time. The only thing that cures the resin
is UV light. Either direct Sunlight or man made UV light sources.
Dream opted to invest in a large bank of fluorescent lights that
allow use during the day, night, rain or shine. Some boat builders
fabricate/cure an entire boat hull with nothing more than the
Sun, rolling the hull out of the shop and into Sunlight. |
A common question I am asked is about the UV light
itself. Many people have assumed the heat from the lights is
what makes the part cure or is part of the curing process. Although
the fluorescent lights are 160 watts each and do get pretty warm
after being on for 10-15 minutes, they are still fluorescents
and produce far less heat than an incandescent of the same wattage.
It is solely the UV rays of light that cure the part. These are
the same bulbs that are used in tanning booths. |
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Spiral tube, pictured top left on this page, is used
to flow the resin across the table first, then across the reinforcement.
There are hoses at all four corners of the part. The hoses on
the left side of the part are the vacuum lines. The black hoses
on the right side feed resin into the lay up. |
The unique characteristic about infusion is that the
reinforcements are laid down dry, all layers. There is no need
to wet each layer out, add another layer, wet it out and so on.
All layers can be added at one time, then sealed under the specialized
infusion film (acts similar to a vacuum bag film but has a texture
that provides a path for resin to flow across). Vacuum is applied
and once max vacuum is reached, the resin is then introduced
into the part. A low viscosity resin is preferred for infusion
so that it can flow faster through the material. |
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To learn why an oven is an important part of advanced
composite fabrication, please click
here. |
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