Release film

A sacrificial woven fabric laminated onto the surface of a laminate and torn off after cure, leaving a clean, uniformly textured surface ready for bonding or painting. Release-coated variants can transfer contamination and are generally avoided where structural bonding will follow.

A non-woven synthetic felt placed over the release film inside a vacuum bag to maintain a continuous air path across the whole part, so that vacuum is drawn evenly, and to absorb any resin that bleeds through. It is discarded after cure.

A consolidation technique in which a laminate is sealed under a flexible airtight film and the air is evacuated so that atmospheric pressure compacts the plies during cure. It removes trapped air and excess resin and is used with wet lay-up, prepreg and infusion processes.

The flexible, airtight polymer film that forms the outer membrane of a vacuum bag, sealed to the tool with sealant tape. Films are selected for cure temperature capability, elongation and puncture resistance, and pleats are added so the film can conform to the part without bridging.