so is there any market for carbon trim parts?

was watching a demo on making a mould from various car parts to be used for making replicas in carbon, the thing is, i could do it quicker and cheaper using vacuum forming.

there are people on the net selling moulding kits which take 24hrs and cost over 50quid, vacuum forming takes a simple piece on plastic and about 5 mins.

i´m have a few other things on right now but as soon as i get a few hours i´m gonna make some carbon cabin trim and maybe a carbon engine cover.

i realise ppl need to see pics, but i just thought i´d put out some feelers as to if anyone thinks this might sell on somewhere such as this forum?

cheers

 

plastic form molding wont be up to the job due to the exothermic reaction ! molding process is a laborious thing but a correctly built mold is the only way for carbon items

 

As said u dont vacuum form carbon with plastic!! U use vacuum bags which suck all the air out then it gets baked in high bake over to speed the curing process!!

There are already alot of companys out there doing it and doing it urself you'd have to sell enough parts to cover the cost of the carbon sheets, resins etc which isnt too cheap either!! and as said good moulds are essential!

 

not sure if i made it clear, although i may be just getting it wrong, i´m no pro.
i was not suggesting vacuume forming the carbon itsself, i was saying why can´t i make the mould from plastic? then lay the carbon sheet on that? i´m not saying i´m right, i´m really just asking advice and any reasons why i can´t lay carbon shhet on a plastic mould? it you can cover plastic with carbon, why not use it as a mould?

 

Ok i see what you are asking i think

ABS plastic used in vehicle interiors is a funny beast and like epoxy and polyester resin it is heat/catalyst cured BUT you cant repair abs plastic with either as it wont bond properly but will take heat of over lay and not dis form but will bond enough to stay on the product . To take a mold off a item it involves multiple layer's of casting resin and fibreglass which will dis form normal plastic due to the thermo cure

you say a sheet is this flat ? if so use a pane of glass , or get your self a vacuum table a 1mm silicone sheet layed over the product you want to copy then cover resin in fibreglass then bag it to the vacuum table until cured

but 1, if you could find a plastic abs to spec it will expensive 2, above will be so much more easier

 

thanks for the advise and time, i really was just testing the water with my theory.
a guy at work suggested it but he´s not really any idea what i wanna do with the mould, he just suggested vacuume table as a way to produce a mould.
tbh, maybe i´ll just buy a kit from carbonmods.com.
i´m a little worried about making a mess of the interior anyway, and not sure how i´d reproduce the fixings anyway, i will stick with making the engine cover and see how it goes, just keep it as a bit of fun i guess.

many thanks, i know i´m a bit slow so dont explain to well

 

mate do a search for big head fixings to retro fit things