Also known as contact moulding hand lay-up is a production technique suitable for prototypes and low volume production of fibre composite material parts. The composite part will have a nice smooth surface on one side and a very rough one on the other.
Hand lay-up is the most basic form of moulding process and is also the least capital intensive. A pattern of the product to be manufactured is made to its exact dimensions. A mould is made using this pattern (negative of the original).
Gel coat is applied on the required finished surface of the mould. Resin and Glass chopped strand matt (CSM) are laid in the mould in successive layers whilst being consolidated by roller, brush and hand to form a homogeneous surface which is free of bubbles. The number of layers of CSM applied will depend on the thickness and strength of final parts required.
Benefits
The Hand lay-up process is particularly well suited to the production of extremely large components that require high strength. In addition the process offers several benefits:
Very economical as relatively low investment cost as moulds are simple and only basic hand tools are required Theoretically there are no restrictions to the size of part that can be produced Maximum design flexibility Design changes are easy to make It is possible to have a variety of colours Process suitable for prototyping and scale up Ideal for low volume production (50-100 units per month). A single mould can be turned over 2-3 times per shift Custom tooling assures the accuracy of a customer’s design and parts
Applications
Profibre produces a wide variety of parts using the hand lay-up process for the following industries:
Automotive and trucking industry Public transportation Agricultural and farm products/applications Industrial and manufacturing Building and construction Leisure vehicle industry