Carbon fiber (also known as carbon fibre)

3K carbon fiber fibre sheets plate matt semi gloss full gloss supply/sales and CNC routing service. Carbon fiber (fibre), is one of the strongest and lightweight materials available on the market today.  Five times stronger than steel, and one third its weight.  Carbon fiber composites are often used in aerospace and aviation, robotics, racing, and a wide variety of industrial applications.

Carbon Fiber Fibre Fabric

Carbon fiber starts as very thin strands of fiber that are finer than a human hair.  These strands are twisted together like yarn (called a tow) and woven into carbon fiber fabric which typically comes in 3k, 6k and 12k weights.

A 3k fabric has 3,000 strands of carbon in each tow while a heavier weight 6k fabric has 6,000 strands per tow.

Carbon fiber fabric comes in a variety of weaves that have different strength properties. The most common are plain weave, harness satin weave, twill weave and unidirectional.

Weave is critical for two reasons – appearance and functionality. Each weave looks very different and sometimes people prefer the look of a certain weave for a specific application.

Also, weave impacts product strength. A unidirectional weave creates a carbon fiber sheet that’s very strong in the direction of the fibers, but weak in the opposite direction. Plain and twill weaves, on the other hand, have more uniform strength since they’re strongest at the points where the fibers cross in either direction.

Carbon Fiber Composites Sheets – Plates

To make a carbon fiber sheet (also known as a composite), carbon fiber fabric is saturated / infused with epoxy resin.  These thin 0.2mm semi cured sheets are stacked to the required thickness, pressed  and heated at high temperatures.  This fuses the semi cured sheets together to form a very rigid sheet.

Carbon Fiber Composites Shaped Products – Molds

Shaped pieces are made by layering several pieces of carbon fabric over a mold, saturating them with resin and heating it until the resin has infused through all layers. This is a skilled process.

Advantages of Carbon Fiber

Carbon fiber composites stand out from the crowd for several reasons. Here are a few:

• Lightweight – carbon fiber is a low density material with a very high strength to weight ratio. 1/3rd the weight of steel.

• High tensile strength – one of the strongest of all commercial reinforcing fibers when it comes to tension, carbon fiber is very difficult to stretch or bend.

• Low thermal expansion – carbon fiber will expand or contract much less in hot or cold conditions than materials like steel and aluminum.

• Exceptional durability – carbon fiber has superior fatigue properties compared to metal, meaning components made of carbon fiber won’t wear out as quickly under the stress of constant use.

• Corrosion-resistance – when made with the appropriate resins, carbon fiber is one of the most corrosion-resistant materials available.

• Radiolucence – carbon fiber is transparent to radiation and invisible in x-rays, making it valuable for usage in medical equipment and facilities.

• Electrical conductivity – carbon fiber composites is an excellent conductor of electricity.  Care must be taken when installing electrical components to ensure no short circuits occur.

• Ultra-violet resistant – carbon fiber can be UV resistant with use of the proper resins.
• Easy to CNC – We can CNC route your design for you

 Disadvantages

• Carbon fiber will break or shatter when it’s compressed, pushed beyond its strength capabilities or exposed to high impact.   Machining holes and slots can also create weak areas that may increase its likelihood of breaking so good design is required to reduce this problem.

• Relative cost – carbon fiber is a high quality material with a price to match.

Carbon fiber fibre CNC Routing / Milling / Turning Service

We offer a CNC routing, Milling & Turning service for many kinds of laminates, FR4, G10, GPO3 and Carbon fiber being some of them.