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Part Name | Description | Safety Notes | Approx. Cost before Shipping | Links | |
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STOCK (metal, plastic, other) | |||||
Acrylic sheet | Can be lasercut. Rather brittle, so be careful when drilling/cutting (use slow speeds) | ||||
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 | |||||
SAFETY MATERIALS | |||||
Nitrile gloves | Latex-free, puncture-resistant gloves. (for reference, Latex = medical use, Vinyl = for use with food and other non-hazardous substances). Make sure we have small, medium and large (we run out pretty often) | Nitrile gloves (Amazon) | |||
Dust masks | Good for filtering non-toxic particles like dust and dirt. | Use respirator if working with toxic particles. | Dust masks (Amazon) | ||
Respirators | Get these through MIT Medical and EHS. There are different canisters depending on the application (i.e. don't use the same ones for fumes as for particulates. Consult EHS for details) | Obtained via MIT Medical and EHS. https://ehs.mit.edu/site/respiratory-protection | |||
Safety goggles | Smaller ones are more comfy, larger ones for people with glasses. | If cutting certain plastics, make sure to wear goggles that cover the sides of your eyes. | We should have these in lab already. | ||
TAPE | |||||
Painter's tape | Usually blue tape, sticky but can be easily removed. | Painter's tape (Amazon) | |||
Duct tape | Can fix anything!! | Duct tape (Amazon) | |||
Gaffer's tape | Heavy cotton cloth pressure-sensitive tape with strong adhesive and tensile properties. Surprisingly expensive. | Gaffer tape (Amazon) | |||
Kapton tape | Flexible amber-colored tape made from polyimide film, good over wide temperature range | Kapton tape (Uline) | |||
Teflon tape | |||||
TOOLS (for cutting, drilling, sanding, etc.) | |||||
Multimaster | Gloves, safety goggles | ||||
Angle grinder | Gloves, safety goggles | ||||
Dremel (and Dremel bits) | Gloves, safety goggles | ||||
Drill | Gloves, safety goggles | ||||
Sandpaper | The higher the grit, the finer the sandpaper. (We usually use 60-2000 grit, but there's a wide variety that you can choose depending on your application. Wet-sand when using higher grit to get rid of the particles as you're sanding. | Gloves, Safety goggles, Respirator (if working with composites) | Easy to find at a hardware store but here's a link just in case. | ||
Flapper wheel | Good for sanding the inside of tubes to save time. Attaches to a drill. | Gloves, safety goggles, respirator (if working with composites) | |||
Heat gun | Good for speeding up epoxy cure times, and for other applications. | Gloves, safety goggles, respirator (if material off-gasses) | |||
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 Working time = 9-12 minutes, cure time = 6-8 hours | Gloves, ventilated area | $69.99/quart kit | Fast hardener quart kit (Amazon) | |
West Systems epoxy - SLOW hardener | Cures in 24 Working time = 20-25 minutes, cures in 12-18 hours | Gloves, ventilated area | $74.95/quart kit | Slow hardener quart kit (Amazon) | |
Fibreglast System 3000 epoxy | 24 hour cure time. Can ovenWorking time = 90-120 minutes, cures in 24-36 hours. Oven-cure to increase strength (cure cycle listed online on link and on back of container) | Gloves, ventilated area/respirator | $279.95/gallon kit | System 3000 epoxy (Fibreglast) | |
Aeropoxy | Used for low-temp applications. Gel time = 60-90 minutes | Gloves, ventilated area | $59.75/quart kit | Aeropoxy (Aircraft Spruce) | |
5-minute epoxy | Used to bond things that are NOT structural. Short working time, cures in 15-20 minutes. | Gloves | $17.53/9 oz | Can find in Gelb if you need it but here's a link: 5-minute (Amazon) | |
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. | Requires respirator, gloves | |||
Proline | Black in color, used as filler. Real messy. | Gloves | |||
COMPOSITES | |||||
E-glass | Used for electrical properties (hence the "E"). Can't be laser-cut. (This applies to fiberglass in general) | Gloves (causes splinters) | |||
S-glass | Stronger than E-glass ("S" for structural) Can't be laser cut. (This applies to fiberglass in general) | Gloves (causes splinters) | |||
Carbon fiber | Not radio-frequency (RF) transparent. Can be laser-cut if dry (no epoxy applied) | Gloves (causes splinters) | |||
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) | Easy to machine, durable. Good choice for making molds, but you can also use foam if ya want. | ||||
Mold release wax | Applied to mold to aid in mold release. Apply 3-5 layers, letting set for 15 minutes in between coats. Can choose Meguiar's (first link) or Partall (second link), but it looks like Partall is cheaper. | Gloves | $24.95/11-oz tin (Meguiars) $12.25/24-oz tin | Mold release wax (Meguiars) Mold release wax (Fibreglast) | |
PVA film | Applied in a thin layer, helps with mold release. Dries in 20 minutes, can be wiped away with warm water after part released from mold. | Gloves | $10.75/quart | PVA release film (Fibreglast) | |
Gel coat | Used as a finish for molds. Don't apply too thick of a layer or it'll come off with the part. | Requires respirator | $46.95/quart | Gel coat (Fibreglast) | |
SOLVENTS | |||||
Acetone | Dissolves liquid epoxy. Very volatile (keep container closed or it'll evaporate away). Can be mixed with epoxy to thin it (but this will increase curing time) | Gloves | |||
Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) | Gloves | ||||
Ethanol | Gloves | ||||
POWDERS | |||||
Colloidal silica | Essentially powdered fiberglass. Can be mixed with epoxy to thicken (acts as filler/adds strength) | Requires respirator | $16.95 | Colloidal Silica (Amazon) | |
Cabosil (fumed silica) | Powdered fiberglass. Can be mixed with epoxy to act as a filler | Requires respirator | $26.00/gallon | Cabosil (Amazon) | |
Phenolic microballoons | Phenolic in dust form. Can be mixed with epoxy to form an ablative mixture. | Requires respirator | $19.99/quart | PMB (somewhat sketchy, from Ebay) |