Carbon Fiber Gear

Aston Martin CC100 Speedster Concept Has Mind Blowing Carbon Fiber

Dave P. — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:10:34 +0000

Aston Martin has been around for 100 years, and to celebrate, they developed the stunning CC100 Speedster concept. The car is outfitted with a naturally aspirated 6.0-litre V12 giving it a 0-60 in 4 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph (*limited top speed).

The car took just six months to develop, and gives us a sneak peak out the potential design direction of Aston Martin. The entire body and interior is crafted from carbon fiber, tooled and provided by Multimatic (the same company that does the carbon fiber monocoque for the One-77). The raw carbon fiber shown on the car is absolutely stunning, here’s a few pictures to drool over:

The car was debuted by completing a lap of Nordschleife at Germany’s ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring race, together with the 1959 DBR1 driven by British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss.

Video

Carbon Fiber and 24 Carat Gold iPhone Unveiled at Baselworld 2013

Ali Kleiman — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:39:36 +0000

Ahh, the CarbonGold, it just sounds elegant. And elegant it is. Just recently at this years Baselworld, Golden Dreams unveiled the limited edition iPhone called the CarbonGold. Made with real carbon fiber and 99.9% real gold, this truly unique iPhone is serious.

A little background on Golden Dreams first; They’re a Swiss company known for creating the world’s most luxurious iPhones. Using unmatched Swiss artistry and finesse in the luxury industry, their collection radiates their passion for perfection. All models are fashioned, inspired and guaranteed by the traditional excellence of Swiss jewelers and watch makers.

Now if I can direct your attention back to the phone itself. The name says it all. As previously mentioned the Carbon Gold iPhone is made with real carbon fiber and then coated with 99.9% pure gold. Golden Dreams developed a cutting edge technique in which they deposit the gold onto the carbon fiber textile. “The CarbonGold is then finished by hand in Switzerland to ensure maximum weave profile and an extremely luxurious and unique finishing.” The bumper is also gold plated with 24 carat gold. Keep in mind that this isn’t just adhered to the back of the iPhone, rather the entire back is replaced by Golden Dreams.

Golden Dreams sells the phone directly, rather than a customer sending in their already owned iPhone to get coated. Each phone comes with a two year manufacture warranty, so even if a customer drops their phone, Golden Dreams will repair it. So Apple is not really involved here at all. All of the work is done internally in Geneva Switzerland.

Here’s the catch. The CarbonGold is so limited, that they have only been produced in a very small quantity of 10. How much you ask? Well, you may be sorry you asked! The price tag rings up just under $12,000 USD (11500 Swiss Franc). I would love to know if any of our readers would spend $12,000 on a cell phone. Let us know your thoughts!

Custom Carbon Fiber and Kevlar Ford Emblem How-To

Dave P. — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:16:56 +0000

When we found out one of our partners made a custom Ford emblem with carbon fiber and orange Kevlar, we had to ask if he could put together a little behind-the-scenes article for us. We thought it would be something you guys would be interested in seeing how something like this is done. Here’s what we’ll be making:

Here’s a step-by-step that shows how it went from nothing to something:

Busted Ford emblem that needed some bondo work to use as a mold to make custom emblems:

Getting the right size pieces of Kevlar cut. Kevlar is very hard to cut and requires special scissors and the tape keeps the weave from distorting:

Wet laying orange Kevlar. The white tape on the edges keeps the weave from distorting, it is later trimmed off:

After the Kevlar was cured and removed. The same was done with carbon fiber:

Here I setup vacuum bagging and this is before vacuum is applied:

Enveloping and vacuum bagging ensures a perfect molded part without air bubbles:

Using wax on the mold, left an outline of the relief pattern so the ring and Ford lettering could be cut out:

Here’s a rough cut out. Next was hours spent hand sanding and filing to get the shapes right:

The Ford lettering was waxed and set in bondo so that the outline of the lettering could be cut out without it moving around:

Here are the two materials cut out and coming together:

The first steps of building up the clear coat. I decided to build up and have a smooth finish, however letting the relief show though would have been pretty sweet too!

Close up on the detail with the final smooth finish:

Here it is on the truck, however the pics don’t do it justice, it’s much better in person

Nike’s Back at it with Carbon Fiber Elite Series

Ali Kleiman — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:47:26 +0000

Nike loves them some carbon fiber man! So, we love Nike About a year ago we featured the Nike Elite Series that they came out with for the NBA playoffs. And now it looks like they’ve added a new line to the Elite series, the Nike Basketball Elite Series 2.0, featuring the “Superhero” collection.

The ‘Superhero’ Collection of shoes was designed by Leo Chang, who was interviewed by Sneaker News, which revealed a lot of information regarding the shoe line, the meaning behind the name, and some other interesting stuff.

“We didn’t want to just do another comic book superhero thing. That’s kinda been done a million times and we feel like these guys are seen as superheroes in our consumer’s eyes and basketball fans’ eyes, because they do some pretty incredible stuff. That’s why they’ve earned the right to have these signature shoes and from there, we just had some fun with it like, if they had superpowers, what would they be?”

These version’s of the Elites are inspired by LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. They each feature a carbon fiber-reinforced midfoot wing so that during side-to-side movements, a lightweight carbon fiber midfoot wing helps stabilize the foot, Kevlar aramid-reinforced Nike Flywire for lockdown and Kevlar aramid laces that resist stretching for a consistent fit.

Then Chang explains the reasoning behind the use of carbon fiber.

“So it all really started with the Diamond Collection on the X. We were looking at what was the strongest diamond out there and it was the unbreakable diamond, the carbonado. And people were saying that it’s not even from Earth, that it was from a supernova or something like that. It’s the hardest diamond out there. You need another carbonado to cut a carbonado. So we started thinking about that and that obviously ties directly into the carbon fiber use, the sharp edges, even the way the diamond shapes are embedded into the design.”

We are still waiting to hear back from Nike on whether or not the carbon fiber featured on the outside of the shoes for aesthetic purposes, are real carbon fiber or just a carbon fiber look. We’ll be sure to update you once we get final word. These shoes must be in high demand too because on the Nike website, there’s a 1 pair/per person limit. As far as pricing, each pair varies between $180-$260. You can also read more of the interview with the designer Leo Chang here.

[Sources: Nike, Sneaker News]

Carbon Fiber Shin Guards

Ali Kleiman — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:58:11 +0000

Ryal is a company that has had years of experience working with soccer players and making handmade shin pads (shin guards). From 1930 till 1939, Giulio Moriani was a talented soccer player. As the years passed, Moriani became a cobbler, specializing in soccer cleats. He established himself as a brand and became very well known all over Italy. In 1960 Moriani renamed his brand to Ryal. The change of name was a tribute to his favorite player Jose Hector Rial. Although he changed the ‘I’ to a ‘Y’.

Recently, Ryal worked with Italy based GL Sport, to design an exclusive series of handmade shin guards. Using ultra-light carbon fiber and lined with neoprene for increased comfort and protection, these carbon shin pads are currently being worn by several soccer players worldwide. They’re called the Elite Pro and with all their carbon fiber goodness, elite they are. They weigh in at just 42 grams.

The Elite Pro’s, which are 100% handmade in Italy with real carbon fiber, are also available to the general public and can be personally customized! Take a look around GL Sport, to see if you’re interested in creating your very own pair. If you’re just looking for the standard pair, they can be bought here from Ryal.

Special thanks to Ard for the tip.

[Sources: GL Sport, Ryal]

The Hublot Ferrari Tribute Watch that Costs More than a Ferrari

Dave P. — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:37:51 +0000

Watchmaker Hublot partnered up with Ferrari to commemorate the new LaFerrari with a Tourbillon watch that will require about $300,000 from your bank account. The watch, known as the MP 05 “LAFERRARI”, is part of a 50 piece numbered series (yes, that’s about $15 million worth of watches) from Hublots Masterpiece Collection. So what’s behind such an expensive piece? Lets find out what’s so special.

The first thing you’ll notice is the extremely unique design. The case is made of a microblasted black PVD titanium, and course a small accent of carbon fiber surrounded by titanium…the part we love. The watch has a crazy 637 components for the movement, which is also equipped with a Tourbillon. There are 11 barrels which allows for a world record 50 day power reserve. That means you can wind it, and not have to do so again for 50 days. The Tourbillon is suspended vertically and can be seen from the bottom side of the watch. The back side is open, allowing you to see the insides.

While it may not be so obvious how to tell time on it, it’s quite easy once you know. The time is shown on the right side of the barrel. The numbers on the left indicate the power reserve so you know when it will need a winding. The red lines are reminiscent of Ferrari colors.

If you’re spending $300,000 on a watch, you better be sure the packaging is up to par as well. Not to worry, the watch comes packaged in a Schedoni leather and carbon fiber box. Not only that, you’ll get a dedicated winding drill that you can use to wind the watch or set the time.

Hublot worked hand-in-hand with Ferrari to develop a watch that shares common points in technical and designs terms with the LaFerrari hypercar. If you’re interested in picking one up, head to the product page on Hublot to find a retailer.

Hands-On Video

[Source: ABTW]

The Koenigsegg Carbon Fiber Wheel is So Light You Can Throw It Around

Dave P. — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:48:42 +0000

If you’re a carbon fiber enthusiast, the Koenigsegg Agera R is a car that is your dream list. There is so much carbon fiber on the car that even the wheels are made of the material using a technology Koenigsegg developed called Aircore. The technology allows the spokes and the center part of the wheel to be completely hollow, cutting out on weight as much as possible. The one-piece wheel has no metal aside from the center cap and the tire valve stems.

All this carbon fiber allows the wheel to be an impressive 40% lighter than a forged aluminum wheel, but still much stronger. Just to prove how light they are, check out the below video where one owner literally throws the wheels around:

[Source: Jalopnik]

Your Bikes Newest Accessory, this Carbon Fiber Bike Pump

Ali Kleiman — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:41:41 +0000

Carbon fiber bike owners, look no further! You regular bike owners can stop looking as well, because this bike pump will look great next to any bike. The Blackburn Frame Pump CF Bicycle Road Pump is made from carbon fiber and fits perfectly under the top tube or along the seat-stay of any given bike.

Blackburn, the company behind the pump, was first founded by Jim Blackburn who was just out there trying to create the latest and greatest cycling products that were both innovative yet reliable. And over the last 30 years, they have succeeded. Blackburn is re-dedicated to designing smart, reliable, no nonsense accessories that are essential to your riding experience.

As for the Blackburn Frame Pump CF, it is constructed with a carbon fiber barrel which helps shed 33 grams in weight. The pump “features an ergonomic head that increases leverage when in use, and rattle-proof internals for better reliability. The Frame Pump CF also features a sticky-but-durable rubber grip zone for an excellent feel and sure grip, as well as a large thumb-lock lever that is easy to grab. Blackburn’s medium-sized Frame Pump CF achieves a maximum pressure of 160psi, measures 470-510 millimeters, and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.”

The Blackburn Frame Pump CF can be found on multiple websites, including Amazon and Competitive Cyclist. Prices vary!

This Week in Carbon Fiber – April 24th, 2013

Dave P. — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:50:19 +0000

CFG Updates

100% Solid Carbon Fiber Belt Buckle

We’ve wanted this for a long time, and finally it’s here. This belt from German luxury maker, Koch, features a buckle that is made from 100% solid carbon fiber. That means it’s invisible to metal detectors, so keep it on at the airport! Not to mention it looks stunning.

Industry News

We’ve partnered with the folks at Composites World to bring you weekly updates in the more technical world of carbon fiber. Here’s what’s new this week:

Boeing begins 787 battery improvements following FAA OK to return to service

Following the grounding of the 787 fleet in January in the wake of two onboard battery fires, Boeing has devised improvements to the system and received approval to start returning planes to service.

Plasticomp installs new LFT compounding line

The new long-fiber thermoplastics compounding equipment will increase production capacity by 5 million lb (22.68 metric tonnes) at the company’s Winona, Minn. headquarters.

San Diego Composites certified as an FAA test site

The San Diego, Calif.-based firm is now performing testing on composite fittings for the aerospace industry, in conformity with U.S. Federal Aviation Admin.

Harper announces carbon fiber R&D workshop

The free event aims to connect peers in the carbon fiber research space to network and share insights on material and process technology.

Aeroindustryjobs: Jobs of the week, April 24, 2013

Aerospace job opportunities at Spintech Ventures, Amtech LLC, Hexcel, PinPoint and Boeing.

Take a Seat Carbon Fiber

Ali Kleiman — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:46:25 +0000

The Darwin 2012 Chair, is one of a kind. I know, we say that about everything around here, but seriously, once something gets produced in a carbon fiber version, it often times becomes a one-off and noticeably cooler.

The chair was designed and produced by Go Carbon. Go Carbon was founded in 2011, when Olympic medalist Andrew Simpson met with master craftsman Alex Newton. The two began brainstorming and discussing the potential for future projects. The third partner at Go Carbon is Simpson’s brother in law, James Tyler, an expert in the timber and furniture trade. “This unique collaboration has led to the the fusion of carbon and wood, and has resulted in beautiful timeless, handcrafted pieces of furniture.”

The first prototype of the Darwin Chair was in 2012, which ended up being very well received at the Top Drawer Show back in January. Go Carbon has since launched The Darwin 2012, which is available in a limited quantity of 500 chairs, celebrating the success of the London Olympics.

The chairs are handmade in England, using carbon fiber and wood. All of the wood used comes from sustainable sources. The chair has to ship built, as there are ebony wedges in the top of the legs. The retail price is about $3,815 USD at the time of this article. Be sure to check back with Go Carbon as they promise exciting new products in the coming months.

[Source: Go Carbon]