…… and I know, I know, I know, I know, I know I want one!
-
Welcome to Elio Owners! Join today, registration is easy!
You can register using your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account, just click here.
My Elio Alternate Project Is Underway.
- Thread starter Mark BEX
- Start date
Sonoran Sam
Elio Addict
Add me to that list, as well. I was bored this morning and fixed my garbage can. My refuse removal company will give me a new one (for free) when the can splits or cracks, but I wanted to see if I could fix my old one.You guys just have too much time in your hands!
DikiJ
Elio Addict
I hope your garbage can was clean when you had to go inside to lace the tie wraps.
I was at the fiberglass company today, still no floor, but the mold is finished and all waxed up ready to pull a floor from it.
You can see a little bondo where they fixed some blemishes, that's pretty normal.
The mold is 10mm or 3/8" thick.
You can see a little bondo where they fixed some blemishes, that's pretty normal.
The mold is 10mm or 3/8" thick.
Exciting.
as one who knows literally nothing about this process,
how long does it take to make a floor using a mold like this ..?
is there a limit the number of floors can be made from a single mold ..?
when you set up your production line, how many molds do you anticipate needing .. ?
Until Mark details it better....
Best I remember from 1980's experiences, for our 'bench-built' cars... (in a part of this size and hand lay-up)
Likely he will have a spray layer of colored surface first, 45 min to prep, spray and clean up the tools etc. Then let that dry, or mostly dry.
Then likely a man hour or two for each layer of glass and resin. I would guess 3-4 layers, surface, fine and roving. Then some time to at least partly harden between each layer.
Possibly followed by a fouth layer, maybe chop/glass in that one. The thicker the more structurally sound.
Of course for non-structural pannels, sometimes only two layers in total, fine cloth followed by either standard or roving or resin/chop mix. Paint afterward. (he will save that original male mold for future female mold making)
For this kind of mold, between a dozen and a few hundred. Depends a lot on the care taken to design and care when separating part from the mold. If a male mold makes 50 female molds, and each female makes 50 parts, that's 2500 parts. By then the design will probably have been updated to a new male mold.
That was also about what it was like at Boeing when I was there up to the 1990's. But there they would finsh by using an autoclave to put it under heat and pressure for a hour or so. (almost never using chop) Mark will likely use Polyester, and Boeing was mostly not polyester, just epoxy and others.
Last edited:
that makes sense, info appreciated .... I figured the process would be time consuming but had no clue as to how much so