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| Part Name | Description | Approx. Lead Time | Approx. Cost | Links | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STOCK (metal, plastic, other) | ||||||
| Acrylic sheet | Can be lasercut | |||||
| Polycarbonate sheet | More flexible than acrylic. Don't laser cut it, because it can catch fire/discolor | |||||
| Aluminum sheet stock | ||||||
| 80/20 bars and connectors | ||||||
| G10 sheet | Composite fiberglass sheet. Can't laser-cut. Can waterjet, but beware delamination | |||||
| Phenolic sheet | Composite insulating material. Can't laser-cut. Can waterjet, but beware delamination. Tricky to machine. | |||||
| 3D printer filament | ||||||
| GENERAL LAB SUPPLIESSAFETY MATERIALS | ||||||
| Nitrile gloves | ||||||
| Dust masks | ||||||
| TAPE | ||||||
| Painter's tape | Dust | |||||
| masksDuct tape | ||||||
| Duct Gaffer's tape | ||||||
| Gaffer's Kapton tape | ||||||
| TOOLS (for cutting, drilling, sanding, etc.) | ||||||
| Multimaster | ||||||
| Angle grinder | ||||||
| Dremel (and Dremel bits) | ||||||
| Drill | Heat gun | |||||
| Sandpaper | ||||||
| Flapper wheel | ||||||
| Heat gun | ||||||
| EPOXY (and other bonding/filling materials). In general, cure times increase if it's colder, so keep that in mind. | ||||||
| West Systems epoxy - FAST hardener | Cures in 6 hours | |||||
| West Systems epoxy - SLOW hardener | Cures in 24 hours | |||||
| Fibreglast System 3000 epoxy | 24 hour cure time. Can oven-cure to increase strength (cure cycle listed online and on back of container) | |||||
| Aeropoxy | Used for low-temp applications. | |||||
| 5-minute epoxy | Used to bond things that are NOT structural. Short working time, cures in 15-20 minutes. | |||||
| 3M Bondo | Used as a a filler for cracks/low spots, etc. Has a low melting point, so don't use it for high-temp parts. | |||||
| Proline | Black in color, used as filler. Real messy. | |||||
| COMPOSITES | ||||||
| E-glass | Used for electrical properties (hence the "E"). Can't be laser-cut. (This applies to fiberglass in general) | |||||
| S-glass | Stronger than E-glass ("S" for structural) Can't be laser cut. (This applies to fiberglass in general) | |||||
| Carbon fiber | Not radio-frequency (RF) transparent. Can be laser-cut if dry (no epoxy applied) | |||||
| LAYUP SUPPLIES | ||||||
| Squeegees | ||||||
| Super77 spray glue | ||||||
| Wax paper | ||||||
| Popsicle sticks | ||||||
| Disposable squeegees | ||||||
| Foam rollers | ||||||
| Silver Sharpies | ||||||
| Epoxy mixing boats | ||||||
| VACUUM BAGGING SUPPLIES | ||||||
| High-temp vacuum bag | ||||||
| Low-temp vacuum bag | ||||||
| Vacuum tape | ||||||
| Release film | ||||||
| Bleeder fabric | ||||||
| Peel ply | ||||||
| MOLD-MAKING | ||||||
| MDF (medium-density fiberboard) | ||||||
| Mold release wax | ||||||
| PVA film | ||||||
| Gel coat | ||||||
| SOLVENTS | ||||||
| Acetone | ||||||
| Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) | ||||||
| Ethanol | ||||||
| POWDERS | ||||||
| Colloidal silica | ||||||
| Cabosil (fumed silica) | ||||||
| Phenolic microballoons | ||||||
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