Today, I finished making a #ForgedCarbon #CarbonFiber #Baker 's lame. This was an idea I had for a while and finally had the time to realize it.

I first designed the part in CAD, then designed and printed a PETG compression mould for it. A generous coating of waxy release agent, and strategically placed holes for a pin punch allowed for a relatively easy demoulding.

After a lot of sanding and a good few gel coat applications, and more sanding and polishing, I finally have a usable lame!

To hold the blade, I simply drilled a hole for an M3 screw which is glued in place, then found these aluminium thumb-nuts which look rather slick. There is a very slight curvature to the blade holder, and some protruding geometry to prevent the blade from rotating.

I realize I could have used tighter clearances on the mould because a lot of fibers moved into the gap between the two halves during compression.

Fun project!

#3dprinting #composites #baking #DIY #carbon

Building Forged Carbon Fiber Wings For Radio Control Cars

When it comes to building decent aerodynamic devices, you want to focus on getting your geometry accurate, and making sure your parts are strong enough to deal with the force they're generating. This build from [Engineering After Hours] delivers on those fronts, consisting of a high-downforce wing for a small RC car.

The video points out that, at best, even a decent RC car will have pretty crappy aerodynamic parts from the factory, with a lift-to-drag (L/D)ratio of 2-3:1 at best. This means that, while they may create some small amount of downforce, they're also creating plenty of drag at the same time.

The dual-element wing designed here is much more efficient, hitting an L/D ratio in the vicinity of 17:1 - a huge improvement. Even a casual eye can note that the design looks a lot more like something you'd see on a full-size car, versus some of the whackier designs seen on toys.

The wing is built with a forged carbon fiber process using 3D-printed molds, to give the wing plenty of strength. Given that it's built for an RC car that can do over 100 mph, making sure the wing is stiff enough to perform at speed is key.

[Engineering After Hours] does a great job of showing how to prepare the molds, fill them with carbon fiber, and pour the resin, and discusses plenty of useful tips on how to achieve good results with the forged carbon process.

The result is an incredibly impressive rear wing with aerodynamic performance to match its good looks. It may be more complicated than 3D printing, but the results of the work are that much tougher.

We've seen other aero experiments from [Engineering After Hours] before, too. Video after the break.

#toyhacks #3dprinter #carbonfiber #choppedcarbon #forgedcarbon #molds