Epoxy Resin Infusion

Epoxy resin infusion offers several distinct advantages over open molding and hand layup processes, such as extra time spent prepping materials for infusion. However, it also requires special consideration and techniques. Most importantly, you need to allow enough time for dry stacking materials - process material, core and reinforcements under the bag - prior to infusing. This ensures an uninterrupted infusion process without pieces coming and going out at different intervals.

Epoxies have higher viscosities than polyester resin systems intended for infusion, yet can be significantly thinned out by adding heat. Fibre Glass Fabrication and Repair Therefore, pre-conditioning your epoxy resins prior to using them for infusion is strongly advised.

At this stage, it's also important to make an educated choice regarding reinforcement material and weave style for infusion. Woven fabrics crimp as they're loaded into laminates, creating low pressure zones that restrict resin flow and provide pockets of air pocket formation. Although woven fabric may still work fine for many applications, it might not be optimal when it comes to infusion; continuous strand mats (CSMs) offer better solutions.





Fibre Glass Fabrication and Repair Finally, vacuum and resin feed lines must be properly placed. A pressure gradient (the difference in pressure between feed side and vacuum side of laminate), is determined by distance from feed line to laminate; further distance means more force is necessary to push resin through your laminate. Ideally, your vacuum and resin lines should be no more than 30 to 36" apart.