# Any experience printing on Carbon Fiber or Fiberglass?



## primafacie (Sep 13, 2011)

Has anyone had experience with printing on an already cured carbon fiber panel or fiber glass panel cured with a vinyl ester resin?

I have some Nazdar 59000 series I have used for aluminum I can test, but nothing specifically mentions this type of application.

Any help would be appreciated!


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## 20vK (Jul 9, 2011)

primafacie said:


> Has anyone had experience with printing on an already cured carbon fiber panel or fiber glass panel cured with a vinyl ester resin?
> 
> I have some Nazdar 59000 series I have used for aluminum I can test, but nothing specifically mentions this type of application.
> 
> Any help would be appreciated!


No experience doing what you asked, but surfers print onto rice paper and then pour resin over that. The paper goes transparent, leaving just the design being visable. Perhaps that would be easier and it leaves the design protected. I should think you would want to put the ricepaper onto an already coated CF mesh, otherwise you would be likely to get air pockets - ruining both the look of the design and the integrity of the mesh/resin composite.

Be sure to use UV resistant resin / lacquer if you do this - when I used to make carbon fibre race bonnets, some resins would go yellow when exposed to sunlight

Richie


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## Preston (Mar 21, 2006)

Call Nazdar and ask them if what you have will work or if you need a different ink. 

Nazdar (913) 422-1888


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## primafacie (Sep 13, 2011)

20vK said:


> No experience doing what you asked, but surfers print onto rice paper and then pour resin over that. The paper goes transparent, leaving just the design being visable. Perhaps that would be easier and it leaves the design protected. I should think you would want to put the ricepaper onto an already coated CF mesh, otherwise you would be likely ...


Thanks for the advice, I am aware of the rice paper method, however this is a complicated piece coming out of a 3 piece female mold with a foam core, placing it that way would probably be too difficult.

Also a few of the parts are already cured and bonded.


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## 20vK (Jul 9, 2011)

primafacie said:


> Thanks for the advice, I am aware of the rice paper method, however this is a complicated piece coming out of a 3 piece female mold with a foam core, placing it that way would probably be too difficult.


Are you able to use pre-preg carbon at all? Then you may be able to lay down the paper over the resin impregnated carbon during the actual molding process and still get a nice finish? Pre-preg is so much easier to handle than a weave, too!

Edit: just saw some of the parts are already cured


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