resin impragnator/wetout machine

[cergun]

Does anyone know of any plans or a site that describes a 'homemade' impregnator?

[waikikin]

check the principles of opperation & adapt your available materials & skills- http://www.atlcomposites.com.au/file...bat_junior.pdf these can be made small & neat for taping jobs, heres one that my Dad built after looking at a Pro Set one....http://www.boatdesign.net/gallery/sh...1/ppuser/12438 pre wetting your fabric on a plastic covered table is probably the simplest way, lay down about 6 layers of builders plastic on the table so if the resin gets too sticky you can flick off a layer, go to town with a bucket & roller & roll the fabric onto a piece of 90 or 100 mm pvc storm pipe for transport to the job.

[SamSam]

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Fabrics can follow several different paths on each model to accomodate a range of fabric weights.

configuration for very light fabrics



configuration for light and medium fabrics



configuration for heavy fabrics




The weight of the fabric and the viscosity of the resin system determine the throughput of the machine. For example, a 24" wide, 9 oz. unidirectional S glass can be wet out at about 15 feet per minute, with a resin content of 40 to 45% by weight using the PRO-SET Epoxy 145/229 combination.

http://www.prosetepoxy.com/process_equipment.html

Here's another site with a downloadable operators manual...

http://www.phoenixequipment.com/satu...pregnator.html


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[cergun]

Thanks for the reply,but I already checked these adresses, the problem is how to move and fix the rollers very accuratly? I will use 200-300 and 400 gr UD carbon and 300-400 gr X carbon so rollers distance should be from 0,1 to 1mm (if I use thicker clothes in the future)

I am thinking to use aluminum rollers and cover the pot with teflon, I will use sika low viscozity epoxy(250 mpas), I think I have to try and see for having an idea about the resine/fiber ratio? Here I have lathe and cnc facilities and I will start to 53ft sailboat from carbon and if I can make one machine that will significantly reduce my workhours but also I am scaring to spend my time and money for having an unusefull machine ..

[SamSam]

If you want the nip rollers to squeeze out the resin to a precise ratio of resin/glass, they would have to be very accurate. If you are only approximating resin/glass ratios of hand layup but are looking for the speed of wetting out that an impregnator will give you, you might try and use cheap rollers with a squeegee type arrangement to scrape off excess resin.

Here's a homemade impregnator of some sort described, you have to join to see the pictures...
http://www.compositescentral.com/showthread.php?t=6620

[Herman]

For those that do not want to subscribe (although it is a very good forum) here is the PDF as well:

http://www.brandscomposiet.nl/produc...inventaris.pdf

If anyone needs more pictures, please PM me your mail address.