Learn about Vacuum Infusion Process in 5 Minutes?

 

The Vacuum Infusion Process (VIP for short) is a process in which reinforcing materials are laid on the surface of the mold, and then auxiliary materials such as vacuum bags are laid, and the air in the system is extracted to form a negative pressure between the vacuum bag and the mold cavity.

 

The pressure generated during the vacuuming process is used to press the resin into the reinforcing materials through the pre-laid pipes, allowing the resin to infiltrate the reinforcing materials and finally fill the entire mold. After the product is cured, the auxiliary materials are removed to obtain the desired product from the mold.

 

 

Reinforcement Materials: Reinforcement materials for vacuum introduction are generally dry glass fiber, carbon fiber, sandwich materials, etc.;

 

Auxiliary Materials: Auxiliary materials for vacuum introduction include demoulding cloth, guide net, vacuum bag, winding tube, resin tube, injection seat, etc.;

 

Resin: The viscosity of the resin system for vacuum infusion is generally 0.15~0.8Pa.S, and the reinforcing material can be completely impregnated only under vacuum pressure.

Advantages of Vacuum Infusion Process:

 

Higher Quality Products: Resin infiltrates reinforcement materials in a vacuum environment, and there are fewer bubbles in the products compared with the traditional hand-layup process;

 

Less Resin Loss: With the vacuum infusion process, the amount of resin can be accurately calculated;

 

Uniform Distribution of Resin: For a product, the pressure generated by the vacuum in different parts is consistent, so the resin infiltration speed and content of the reinforcement material tend to be consistent;

 

Environmentally Friendly: The vacuum infusion process is a closed mold process, and VOCs and toxic air pollutants are confined to the vacuum bag, which greatly improves the working environment and expands the range of available materials;

 

Good Product Integrity: Reinforcement ribs, sandwich structures, pipelines and other embedded parts can be formed at the same time, which improves the integrity of the product.

 

Disadvantages of Vacuum Infusion Process:

 

The preparation process takes too long and is relatively complicated: it requires the correct laying of demoulding cloth, guide net, effective vacuum sealing, etc.;

 

Generate more Process Waste: auxiliary materials such as demoulding cloth, guide net, vacuum bag, etc. are all disposable;

 

Product Manufacturing has Certain Risks: especially large and complex structure products, once the resin infusion fails, the product is easy to scrap.