Carbon is a carbon reinforced plastic (CFRP) and apparently the latest gold of the vehicle industry. Until now, only the racing industry had used this particular plastic, but now other markets have become aware of CFRP. CFRP is not just about car tuning or high costs, but is more versatile than you might think. It is a composite material made of plastic and carbon fibres. These fibres are obtained from a thermo-chemical process, made from materials containing carbon. These fibres are up to ten times thinner than a human hair. The fibres are then bound into a continuous strand, spooled and then woven into mats. Only through weaving can a characteristic net structure be created that does not shift even under load. This is the reason why high tensile forces cannot throw them out of sync. Carbon patterns look very beautiful.
Our online shop "Carbonwerk Germany" has specialised in this area and now wants to convince others to tune their cars in the future. We sell special tuning parts for vehicles to give them a special design. Different products such as carbon, GRP, ABS, steel and aluminium are offered. Individual ideas can be realised and special designs can be produced. Bonnets and diffusers are available for sale. We even give our customers the option of having the carbon products registered.
What are the advantages of tuning with CFRP?
- Carbon is 50 percent lighter than steel
- Carbon is 30 percent lighter than aluminium
- The driving performance remains the same despite the lightness
- The car becomes more agile
- The car drives better in the curves
- The car can be accelerated faster
- Carbon can be used in many ways, for example in model making, aircraft construction and in industry
- CFRP can be shaped in any way, so that unusual designs can be created
- The models are more detailed and simpler
- The cars are in perfect condition after repair
- Carbon does not rust and does not expand at high temperatures
- The environment is protected because less fuel is used
- It has two different original components
- It protects against harmful influences and ensures a balanced distribution of forces
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What is done in a car tuning?
In a car tuning, the vehicle is refined and made lighter at the same time, and this is only possible with carbon. In the meantime, every good accessory shop has parts made of this special material, which are always of first-class quality. There are also various ways to process this valuable material. This is possible, for example, with hand lamination, which is one of the simplest and oldest process techniques. Here, each fibre is individually coated with resin by roller or brush. Only then is sanding and lacquering carried out. However, only very light parts can be produced with this method.
A better method would be the injection process. Here the price-performance ratio is wonderful. The fibres are placed in a mould and sealed with a vacuum film. Then the whole thing is impregnated.
The wet prepreg process is one of the highest quality processes of all. Only fibres that have been pre-impregnated with resin are used here. The amount of resin that is in the fabric can thus be more easily controlled and used for smaller parts. Mostly rear diffusers, rear lids and front lips are produced this way.
The last method is called dry prepreg. Here, too, resin is used to stabilise the fabric. However, the resin has dry properties in this method. This means that there is no unnecessary resin consumption. The parts are then usually painted with clear varnish to protect the fabric from harmful influences. Each layer has to be peeled off individually, as the amount of resin has to be dosed exactly. Otherwise the items would become sticky. The final step is that the parts are then baked at 120 degrees Celsius.
Is CFRP dangerous and what do you have to watch out for?
In the event of an accident, this particular material can become dangerous because it produces a toxic dust that is highly carcinogenic. The carbon could tear and then splinter. This creates a high risk of injury in the event of an accident. In addition, when the fabric starts to burn, the microfibres look as big as asbestos. The lungs would suffer severe damage after inhaling the carbon.
Those who mount Cabon parts should urgently use a torque spanner. A carbon frame like this can last a lifetime. A simple, soft cloth is sufficient for cleaning dirt, which should be washed with warm water and a little washing-up liquid. Scouring agents should never be used for this purpose. CFRP is also very easy to work on. No matter whether sawing, drilling, milling or turning is required: It is always possible to work mechanically with CFRP.
If you want to glue something, you should degrease the glued areas beforehand. Afterwards, a superglue can be applied to carry out small bonding operations. High-quality fabrics, by the way, have a matt surface. High-gloss coatings are usually not of high quality. There are also many scammers who do not sell carbon parts, but instead try to sell customers a glass fabric that looks similar to CFRP. If you don't want to be deceived, you can always carry out a test and see if the supposed carbon laminate is always electrically conductive. If this is the case, you have a real carbon laminate in front of you.
Last but not least, carbon parts are subject to registration and must undergo a material appraisal. This is only not the case if an ABE is available. You are on the safe side if the carbon parts are entered in the vehicle documents for operation. Otherwise, you could be fined heavily if you drive around unregistered with carbon parts.
A list of the many types of carbon fibre:
- Classic carbon (body)
- Forged carbon
- Ferrari/line carbon
- Formula 1 carbon
- Coloured carbon
- Real carbon
- Visible carbon
- Full carbon
- Carbon film