Karwon Composites supplies composite consumables and ancillaries alongside the main carbon fibre range.
Send your part size and layup and we will put the consumable list together against it rather than leaving you to tick off a generic one.
A vacuum infusion layup needs a stack of consumables that each do one job: release the part, control resin flow, carry resin across the laminate, and hold vacuum. Miss one and the infusion either does not run or the part does not come off the tool. Here is the full list, what each item does, and the ones people forget.
The release layer
Release wax or a chemical release agent goes on the tool before anything else. Wax is applied in coats and buffed, and it is forgiving. Chemical release agents are quicker on large tools and last longer between applications. Whichever you use, this is not the place to save money or skip a coat, because a bonded part and a damaged tool cost far more than the consumable.
The laminate stack
Reinforcement is the fabric itself, dry rather than pre-impregnated. Woven, unidirectional, biaxial or a combination, depending on the part.
Surface tissue is a light veil at the surface that produces a resin-rich outer layer. It improves finish, helps hide the weave print, and adds a barrier that matters in marine and exposed applications.
Core material goes in where you need thickness and stiffness without weight. PVC foam and core mat are the common choices. Core changes how the resin flows, so it needs planning into the infusion strategy rather than being dropped in late.
The flow stack
This is the part that makes infusion work, and it sits in a specific order above the laminate.
Peel ply goes directly on the laminate. It releases cleanly once cured and leaves a textured surface ready for bonding or painting without sanding. If the part will be bonded to anything later, peel ply is doing real work, not just tidying the surface.
Perforated release film sits above the peel ply and controls how much resin passes through. The perforation pattern is the control: more open film lets more resin through into the flow media, tighter film restricts it.
Flow media, sometimes called infusion mesh, is the open layer that lets resin race across the whole part rather than crawling through the laminate. This is what makes the difference between an infusion that completes and one that stalls halfway.
Bagging and vacuum
Bagging film is the outer envelope that holds vacuum over the whole assembly. Size it generously, because a bag pulled tight over corners is where bridging and leaks start.
Sealant tape, the yellow tacky tape, seals the bag to the tool. Most vacuum leaks are a sealant tape problem, either a gap, a wrinkle, or a spot where the tape was pressed down onto itself.
Vacuum pipe, spiral wrap and valves distribute vacuum and feed resin. Spiral tubing runs along the inlet and outlet lines so resin and vacuum spread along a line rather than a point.
Resin trap sits between the bag and the pump and catches resin before it reaches the pump. Skipping this ruins pumps.
Plasticine or tacky putty for sealing around pipe penetrations and awkward corners where tape alone will not seal.
Resin side
Infusion resin must be low enough in viscosity to travel through the stack, so a standard laminating resin is often the wrong choice. Fumed silica thickens resin for filleting and bonding paste where you need it to stay put. Tooling gelcoat and resin film come in when you are building the tool itself rather than the part.
The ones people forget
- Enough sealant tape. Runs get used faster than expected on a complex tool.
- Spare bagging film for a re-bag, because you will occasionally need one.
- Spiral wrap for the outlet as well as the inlet.
- A resin trap with enough capacity for the part, not the last part.
- Clamps or valves on both lines so you can shut off the inlet at the right moment.
- Spray adhesive to hold fabric and stack layers in position on a vertical or curved tool.
A quick order of assembly
Tool, release agent, reinforcement and core, surface tissue at the face if used, peel ply, perforated film, flow media, spiral and pipe, then bagging film and sealant tape. Leak test before you mix resin, every time.
Sourcing infusion consumables in the UAE
Karwon Composites supplies composite consumables and ancillaries alongside the main carbon fibre range, including peel ply, bagging film, perforated film, sealant tape, release wax, spray adhesive, surface tissue, fumed silica, PVC foam, core mat, vacuum pipe and valves, with documentation requirements agreed at quotation stage.
Send your part size and layup through our contact page and we can put the consumable list together against it.