How is a carbon foil made?
Building a carbon fiber foil is no easy feat. There are various methods and techniques for manufacturing a carbon fiber foil . However, building a carbon fiber foil requires technical skill and expertise. In this article, we detail the different steps to explain how to build a foil.
The construction of the mast and fuselage assembly must be distinguished from that of the wings, which are technically simpler to produce. An excellent carbon foil is defined by its rigidity, its glide, and therefore, the quality of the profiles used, their thickness (chord and overall thickness), and the quality of the materials used.
From the outside, it's very difficult to compare a high-performance (rigid) mast to a flexible one. A mast looks like a mast. However, their performance on the water can be completely different. Some carbon masts are less stiff than some aluminum masts. And yet everyone thinks that the carbon mast is more efficient.
Let's get into the details of the manufacturing of a carbon foil in order to better understand and choose your carbon foil .
What are the different steps involved in manufacturing a carbon foil?
The design
The design of carbon foils is a crucial step in the manufacturing process of a carbon foil.
- To work effectively, the foil project manager provides the most precise specifications possible and determines the specific characteristics of what he is looking for to create this Carbon foil.
- Then the engineers use advanced 3D software to design the foils with precision. This software determines the precise characteristics of each profile and allows them to choose the best profile to meet the specifications.
- Finally, in a third step, he models the different parts of the foil: the wings, the fuselage, the mast and the plate, and above all optimizes their shape and their interlocking by refining certain parts, or by thickening certain potentially fragile areas.
Using these simulation tools, engineers simulate the behavior of the foil under different conditions and observe the potential drag of each part of the foil, determine the potential speed of each winglet or stabilizer.
This step is crucial for saving time during the prototyping phase later on. It allows for informed decisions to be made during the foil design to achieve the best possible performance.
The characteristics of a carbon mast for speed and for jumping are not the same. The stresses and strains are different. Therefore, the mast shapes are adjusted according to the specific requirements.
Generally, if you're aiming for glide, you reduce the drag of the mast, fuselage, and wings. To decrease drag, you reduce the thickness of the components, such as the mast chord, and you thin the fuselage while maintaining maximum stiffness. The challenge of a good carbon foil lies in balancing excellent efficiency with maximum rigidity.
Mold prototyping/machining
When the engineer and the project manager have reached a compromise on the overall shape and performance of the foil, the design phase begins with the production of a prototype.
This step involves machining the mold for the different parts of the foil. If the design is well executed, then the prototype is simply a confirmation phase. Otherwise, the 3D modeling must be restarted.
Machining is carried out with high precision using a CNC, a machine that cuts aluminum or steel (molds can also be made in wood or in a "lab" in some cases for rapid propagation).
Positioning of the carbon fabrics in the mold.
Once the mold is finished and polished, another machine uses a laser to cut the carbon fiber fabric. Increasingly, prepreg carbon fiber (pre-impregnated during manufacturing) is used. This method offers several advantages: it allows for the ideal amount of resin to be applied to the carbon fiber, prevents personnel from working with toxic resin, and results in significant time savings and increased precision.
After this step, the pieces of fabric are placed in the molds, oriented in specific ways to achieve greater strength in some areas or greater rigidity in others. Once the mold is closed, it is heated and compressed with a hydraulic press.
The carbon fiber fabric is oriented in the molds in specific ways to achieve greater strength in one area or greater rigidity in another. The angle of positioning, quantity, and thickness of the carbon fiber fabric all influence the mechanical strength of the part. This is a key step in the production of a carbon foil. If the factory lacks or has limited expertise in these fundamental techniques, the part will never possess the desired characteristics.
Cooking
Once the mold is closed, it is heated and compressed with a hydraulic press (several tons). Sometimes, for certain parts, an autoclave is used to further increase the pressure on the entire piece. However, this requires significant manpower, time, and infrastructure. Increasingly, large presses are being used that can apply several tons of pressure to all the different parts of the mold.
The finish
Once the firing is complete, the excess material is removed. Each piece is sanded by hand or with a robot to obtain a smooth surface.
Finally, holes are drilled to accommodate the inserts or allow the screws to pass through. A varnish is then applied. The part is then tested in all directions to ensure it is free of defects.
The testing phase
If everything meets the specifications, the desired performance on the water (thanks to tests in different wind, swell and size conditions) and if it withstands mechanical stress in the workshop then it is possible to launch the industrialization phase where each step is optimized to produce a foil in large series.
In conclusion.
Producing a carbon foil requires a great deal of research and time to achieve a high-performance and durable product. Some brands want to accelerate these various stages to produce quickly and generate buzz through marketing.
Our strategy is the complete opposite. We prefer to take the time to ensure each step is executed perfectly in order to produce a high-performance foil that is also durable. This requires a great deal of patience, time, and energy. But it allows us to create a carbon foil that is both exceptionally high-performing and robust.