Infusion & bagging

Is it worth infusing a one-off console or should I just hand lay it?

Asked by consolebuild · October 2024

I've got a single centre console to build, nothing structural, and I normally hand laminate. Tooling up for infusion for one part feels like a lot of faff, but I do want a decent fibre ratio. Which way would you go?

✓ Allbase answer

SteveAllbase technical team

For a genuine one-off where weight and fibre ratio are not critical, hand lay-up is often the pragmatic call, since the consumables and rehearsal that infusion needs rarely pay back over a single part. Infusion earns its place when you are repeating a part, chasing a high fibre-to-resin ratio, or building something large where wet lay-up gets unmanageable. A console is not structural, so the main gain would be a cleaner laminate and lower resin content rather than strength you actually need. One honest middle path is vacuum bagging a hand lay-up, which lifts consolidation without the flow-front risk of full infusion. If a small run might follow, it can be worth doing the first one as infusion to prove the process. Happy to talk through the trade-offs for your part if you get in touch.

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