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What does "dry carbon fiber" mean ? The questions to ask when someone tells you their parts are "dry carbon fibre"

Lately we have been seeing more and more companies referring to their carbon fibre parts as being so called "dry carbon".

"Dry carbon" is a term which can potentially lead to confusion.

We don't refer to any of the parts we sell as "dry carbon". Instead we aim to always identify exactly what kind of carbon fibre is used.

When talking about carbon fibre we simply use industry standard terms that have been used in the composites and aerospace industries for decades.

Do a search for a definition of "dry carbon" at engineering-dictionary.org and you will see the result ...

"Definition Of: dry carbon
There is no definition for this term."

There are different types of carbon fibre, and when looking at purchasing carbon fibre parts for your car it is very important for you to know what the differences are, and what questions to ask when someone tells you that their parts are so called "dry carbon".

Let's take a look at 3 of the most popular methods of carbon fibre manufacturing ...

Wet lay up

Wet lay up is the simplest form of carbon fibre manufacturing.

In wet lay up, cloth is placed in a mold, then resin is applied to the cloth.

Prior to the resin being applied to the cloth in the mold, the cloth is dry.

Does that mean that parts made by wet layup can be called "dry carbon" ?

We don't call parts made this way "dry carbon". We call it "wet layup" - a clear term that states clearly how a part is made.

Click on the video below to see an example of a part made using wet layup ...

Resin Infusion

The next method is called resin infusion.

In a part made using infusion, the resin is applied to the cloth either under a vaccum or using pressure to force the resin into the cloth.

Like with the wet layup method mentioned earlier, with resin infusion the cloth often starts out dry, and then the resin is applied to the cloth in the mold.

Does that mean that parts made by resin infusion can be called "dry carbon" ?

We don't call parts made this way "dry carbon". We call it "resin infusion" - a clear term that states clearly how a part is made.

See the video below for an example of a part being made by resin infusion ...

Pre-Preg Carbon Fibre

The type of carbon fibre widely regarded as the top of range material is called "pre-preg carbon fibre".

Used widely in aerospace and Formula One, prepreg leaves the carbon fibre factory with the resin already impregnated into the fabric.

This allows precise control of the amount of resin in the material, which allows for the lightest possible part, without excess resin which would simply add unnecessary weight.

Also because pre-preg has the resin already applied at the carbon fibre factory, using quality pre-preg can help ensure that there are not areas in the carbon which resin has not been applied to.

Because the resin is already in the material, pre-preg is normally stored in a cool environment, to avoid the resin starting to set.

Once a part is made from pre-preg, it is then baked in an autoclave or oven to cure the resin.

Pre-preg is typically used in the highest quality products.

See the video below to learn more about pre-preg ...

The questions to ask when buying carbon fibre parts

Now that you have an overview of 3 types of carbon fibre parts manufacturing, what questions should you ask when buying carbon fibre parts for your car ?

Simply ask the company selling the parts:

"Is this part made from:

(a) wet layup,
(b) resin infusion, or
(c) pre-preg ?"

If the seller answers "it's dry carbon", that is not an answer to the question.

If a seller won't give you a straight answer to that question, ask yourself "why ?". It's a very simple question for any manufacturer to answer.

As shown above, these are very different manufacturing methods, often with large differences in cost, so you need to ask those questions to know exactly what it is that you are buying.

A message to manufacturers of carbon fibre parts

To the many manufacturers out there who label your parts as so called "dry carbon", why don't you stop using that potentially confusing term and instead simply specify exactly which production method and materials are used ?

Be clear about how the products you are selling are actually made, and so that consumers can understand exactly what it is that you are selling.

We call on all manufacturers to stop using the potentially confusing term "dry carbon" immediately.

There are proper aerospace industry and composite industry standard terms to describe various types of carbon fibre manufacturing, which have been used for decades in those industries. Use them.

If your parts are made using wet lay up or resin infusion, then just say so.

In conclusion

Next time you see the term "dry carbon" used online, post a link to this article and help put an end to the potential confusion.

And remember, if you see a product being sold as "dry carbon", ask the seller the questions mentioned earlier in the article, to find out exactly what the product is.

We will also be publishing a second article soon about how you can learn to spot the difference by eye between wet layup parts, resin infusion parts and pre-preg parts, so click on the links below to subscribe free to our RSS blog feed or to our free award winning TunerWire Live email newsletter to have that article automatically delivered to you when it's published ...

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created on 2010-07-14 13:45:51 by TTG