Technical Glossary

  • A pressure vessel for creating high temperature and high pressure environment. Autoclaves are typically used with prepreg material.

  • The angle between a mold cavity side wall and the parting line for the mold. Typical composite parts require a slightly larger draft angle than metal to ensure easy demolding.

  • The process of compacting a laminate to a specific thickness during the lay-up process. Also removes air bubbles which could be trapped in the laminate. CACF uses bags to vacuum de bulk each ply.

  • An arrangement of fibers where all fibers are arranged parallel to one another.

  • An arrangement of fibers in a woven together in a twill pattern that creates a reinforced fabric

  • Often seen as an external pattern where fibers are not aligned and merely placed randomly for a visual effect. There is no “forging” as this is a metallurgy term. Refer to compressed composites.

  • Registered trademark of DuPont. Commonly used in conversation to describe an aramid type fabric

  • Material manufactured by DuPont. It is a variant of an aramid and offers good fire protection and can also be used as a main constituent for an honeycomb core

  • Reinforcement material which is composed of spun-glass filaments. Very commonly used in the fabrication of composite parts.

  • How carbon fiber is measured by weight. Refered to ‘Grams per Square Meter’

  • Flash, also known as flashing, is excess material attached to a molded, forged, or cast product, which must usually be removed.

  • A split line, also known as a parting line, is the seam on a molded part that forms where the two halves of the mold separate to release the finished product

  • A class of polymers which react and harden in the presence of co-reactants such as amines. In composites, epoxy is generalized to be a high strength, high end application, types matrix material.

  • Mode of failure where plies begin to separate in a laminate structure.

  • A laminating kit includes carbon fiber pre- cut shapes that fit directly into the mold design and define the thickness, fiber orientation and thus the strength

  • Additive to a resin which is used to thicken and/or stretch the volume of a resin without adding substantial mass

  • Term for a template or parent mold.

  • The orientation, reinforcement type, and sequence of a laminate

  • The process of placing and orienting reinforcement material in a mold

  • Name for a cylindrical mold used in the filament winding process

  • A compound which is used on a mold surface to allow a part to be separated from the mold after it has cured.

  • A single layer in a laminate structure

  • Pre-cut and pre shaped reinforcement material

  • The relative change in length of the part after taken out of a mold. Typical composites shrink well under 1% of a given dimension

  • A decorative and structural pattern where the carbon fiber weave forms a series of V-shapes, resembling the bones of a fish

  • A Class A surface is the highest quality, aesthetically pleasing surface on a product, characterized by being flawlessly smooth, continuous, and free of imperfections

  • B surface is an invisible, functional surface on a part that is usually hidden from view, featuring engineering elements like ribs, bosses, and snap-fits

  • A fabric type which has in-bedded adhesive which is activated and cured by heat.

  • Resin transfer molding is an infusion process where catalyzed resin is injected and the laminate is compressed used a matching mold or has pressure applied. This process insures consistent part thickness and minimal voids

  • A laminate which is composed of two reinforced fiber skins which ‘sandwich’ a core material

  • Areas of a part where sufficient resin was not available. Usually characterized by dry spots

  • Areas of a part which have excess built up resin content.

  • A thin film which is used in a manufacturing process which does not stick to the cured part. This film can be used between the laminate and mold surface to help with release.