One of the leading markets today when it comes to manufacturing products is called composite manufacturing. You may think of questions like “What is it?” How is it done? What Types of composite manufacturing is done commonly? We’re going to answer a few of these things in this article so you can get a better understanding which can help you, especially if you’re wanting to start a new manufacturing business like Spartec.
What Exactly Is Composite Manufacturing?
Composite manufacturing is just like the word “composite”, a joining of two materials that come together. These materials are stronger, more durable, and more reliable than the original materials that make the final composite (similar to that of carbon steel being ten times more durable than iron, which is used to make it by carbon pressing it). However, composites can even be stronger and better than steel when it comes to all of the benefits and none of the downsides. Composites help your business to get more done in shorter amounts of time, and offer many solid factors that can help you with things like quality assurance, production time, and more.
Types of Composites
- Open Molds – this is the most common form of material composites there are. They’re cheap, and it doesn’t require very much equipment to make composites. You just simply pour in the mold and use fiber and composite resin to spread it out. There are many manufacturers that use this for home features (like bathtubs for example), as well as fiberglass boats, some car manufactured parts, and more.
- Closed Molds – Using this method, the materials are cured, and pressed inside a mold so they are used for higher volume projects. While being for higher volumes, the cost of this form of molding is still rather low and useful by using various methods such as vacuum molding, vacuum presses, and more.
- Cast Polymer – These are usually used in order to make parts that need specific repetitive requirements (weights, sizes, and shapes). Solid surface molds are used to make more dense products that not just look like something “marble, etc.”By using things such as fake stone molds are used by an acrylic coated resin. Many of these cast-type molds have been used to create bathtubs, sinks, counter tops, table tops and more. While this method can provide the best results when it comes to efficiency and productivity (since this method is commonly used for larger industries with a very high volume of production requirements), it is the most costly. Usually special machining and tools have to be purchased, installed, and utilized to ensure that production can maintain a steady pace. At the same time, one might have to invest in a hybrid system that uses both open and closed molds in order to use this type of production. Even some composite baseball bats for example are actually made with a special split closed mold.
Conclusion
No matter what type of composite manufacturing method you are wanting to pursue, you have to factor many things in order to create your successful manufacturing business. You have to evaluate numerous costs, from labor, to time the production will take, as well as what means you will have to use in order to achieve your final products.
