Develop a carbon fiber hood. We are developing a carbon fiber hood
The carbon hood has become widespread due to its lightweight and high-strength design. This element fits perfectly into the exterior of Toyota cars, emphasizing their belonging to the prestige class.
To improve the design of a car, you first need to choose it correctly. Since it is this detail, in combination with the optics and radiator grille, that is the “face” vehicle and carries with it a certain attitude of the owner towards his car.
Material selection
For cars of this brand they can be made from:
- aluminum,
- become,
- fiberglass,
- carbon fiber.
The latter material is actively used in the production of tuning components.
Carbon is a composite material consisting of interwoven carbon threads connected epoxy resin. A positive property of such threads is high stability to breaks. However, under the influence of compressive force they become very brittle. To eliminate brittleness, carbon fibers are mixed with rubber threads at a certain angle during weaving.
Advantages
The carbon body part is highly durable and has low weight. Compared to aluminum and steel counterparts, its weight is 40 and 20 percent less, respectively. At the same time, the strength is comparable to metal structures. Due to their external qualities, such elements are in great demand among connoisseurs of automotive style and beauty.
Also, the advantage of installing this part on a Toyota from the manufacturer KHANN is its ease of installation.
Why install a carbon fiber hood on a Toyota?
For example, when creating the image of a sports car, it will not be enough to limit yourself to just installing spectacular body kits and a spoiler. Initially, such a car must demonstrate an advantage while driving. To achieve maximum dynamics without changing the engine and transmission, it is necessary to reduce the weight of the car. This can be achieved by installing a lightweight carbon hood. It has a unique topography, as well as additional openings (gills, grilles, etc.) that facilitate better flow of air mass into the engine compartment.
KHANN has been successfully manufacturing parts for many years. Highly qualified specialists, availability modern equipment and accumulated experience allow us to guarantee high quality manufactured products. We design composite parts for various Toyota models.
Those who own cars or deal with them have heard about “carbon tuning” more than once. Carbon or carbon film, vinyl film is a fabric made from carbon threads. This fabric is filled with epoxy resin, resulting in a material ready for use. There are three carbon colors - transparent, opaque and black. Other colors, almost all possible, are achieved by adding dye. When applied to a car, it is used to make various parts - from the hood to the exhaust pipe.
Properties of carbon
The properties of carbon coating are attractive to almost any car enthusiast.
A carbon fiber hood is lightweight, durable, impressive, not afraid of corrosion, resistant to any type of impact, both physical and chemical, and its service life is much longer than that of steel. The color scheme of such a carbon fiber product depends only on the wishes of the car enthusiast.
The ease of manufacturing from carbon fiber makes the process of creating a cover for a car quite short. That's why hoods are the most popular carbon fiber product. They are made according to individual drawings, thanks to which they have an original, unique design.
In addition, it is even possible to install a carbon upgrade yourself. Carbon panels are very light in weight, so working with them is easier than with metal plates. On new car models, installation is easier due to more clearly aligned parts. But even on older models this process is a little more complicated.
IN general view the instructions for such a process will look like this:
- disconnect the windshield washer nozzles;
- unscrew the four bolts, the purpose of which is to secure the hood to the body;
- lift the old hood, then unscrew the bolts from the hinges;
- together (an assistant is needed here), from different sides, remove the front cover from the car and place it on something soft (in case it comes in handy someday);
- unpack the new carbon fiber hood, pick it up (here an assistant is desirable, but not required), carefully insert the edges of the corners onto the body hinges;
- lift it up and install a spacer;
- put the unscrewed bolts in their places.
If for some reason you are not satisfied with the bolts from your car, then the product comes with bolts and you can use them. We lower the new hood into place, thereby completing the operation of replacing the old one.
Car enthusiasts order carbon parts for their own cars with great pleasure. This material is easy to use and, in addition, has good strength. A hood made of carbon film or vinyl film will definitely be stylish, attracting attention with its spectacular appearance.
One of our customers had the following project: to make a line of equipment with carbon fiber bodies. Lightweight, durable, beautiful - all pluses. Only the price stings. So they sent me on a reconnaissance mission to find out how to do the same thing, but cheaper.
To be honest, I had never before seen how such things were made, and I did not even imagine all the technology. Therefore, I immediately and gladly took on the task.
But it turned out that getting to the plant is not so easy. Two manufacturers, under various pretexts, refused to meet at the production site and persistently called me to their office. The third had an office and production in the same building, and without thinking twice I went to see him.
The plant looks quite decent; I am shown into the meeting room/showroom.
The variety of samples is dizzying: a carbon bicycle, parts for cars and motorcycle tuning, all sorts of gizmos of unknown purpose.
A one-piece hood for BMW is the dream of the boys from heaven.
Sometimes colored threads are woven into carbon fabric: red or blue, it looks very unusual.
Parts painted entirely cannot be immediately distinguished from ordinary ones. Usually athletes do this: they want low weight, not show-off :)
Motorcycle helmet.
And something unknown for what it is needed.
But main goal my visit, there was this:
iPad case. I was not interested in the case itself, of course, but in things similar to it: parts for phone cases, laptops, tablets. It was important to understand the production technology, to understand how to design them correctly so that it would be as cheap and technologically advanced as possible. Therefore, after long negotiations and persuasion, I finally asked for a tour of the workshop.
The production occupies one floor of the building, it is clean, but rather deserted.
Carbon fiber sheet with an applied adhesive layer comes in rolls. It comes in different thicknesses, with different weaving patterns. Stored in special refrigerators.
The fabric is cut into pieces according to the pattern, and glued in several layers onto the matrix. The matrices are light, made of something like plastic, and with an increased resource, made of aluminum.
The matrices that go into work are laid out directly on the floor, each in its own sector.
The carbon gluing process itself was located behind glass doors, but they flatly refused to show it to me, saying it was a terrible trade secret. But I don’t think there’s anything secret there, they just cut it out with scissors and put the scraps into a mold.
After this, each part is packed in vacuum bags.
The air is pumped out from the bags and loaded into one of two ovens, larger or smaller.
Finished parts are removed from the dies. If the part has a complex shape, then the matrix for it will be complex, consisting of several parts.
Quality control before delivery to the warehouse.
As you might guess, this is not the whole process. Now you need to trim the edges of the parts and paint them with varnish. But this is done at another site, at a subcontractor. They offered to go and have a look, but I refused - there’s definitely nothing new there.
Oh, you're probably interested in knowing about prices? So, a carbon case for an iPad costs $25 from the factory. A bicycle costs several thousand. You will stop smiling, as one of my friends says. And there aren’t really any reduction options, too small-scale production, too much manual labor.
A carbon hood is the dream of many car enthusiasts. It remains an expensive purchase, but this body element has unrivaled features. Thanks to them, he manages to continue to gain popularity, remaining an indispensable solution.
Why is carbon needed?
Traditional metal is gradually losing popularity. Carbon is a unique carbon composition with unsurpassed advantages. Previously, it was only used to replace obsolete alloys with small areas, and now proper design makes it possible to obtain complex body elements.
A hood made of durable carbon fiber will appeal to every driver. It is categorically different from the factory element, while remaining a great addition to the car. Only purchase finished part will not work. To achieve a perfect match and fulfill all wishes, you will have to order the development of a personal project.
Advantages of a carbon hood
It is no coincidence that the new carbon composition quickly became popular. Having become acquainted with its advantages, you can be sure that you have made the right choice of drivers. What features should be noted?
- Strength;
- Ease;
- Complexity of design;
- Aesthetic design.
Strength – main reason choice of many drivers. After replacing the stock hood, you won't have to worry about dents or scratches.
Damage to the material would require serious mechanical impact, which you won’t have to encounter along the way.
Lightness is another plus that has attracted the interest of car owners. When performing tuning total weight machines becomes a fundamental issue. For this reason, even alloys have to be changed to ensure faster acceleration times and higher top speeds.
The complexity of the design implies fantastic developments by designers. They manage to take into account air circulation for additional cooling and aerodynamic rules for a streamlined shape. The material allows you to create any elements, so there are no difficulties in this matter.
Aesthetic design attracts young people the most. Absolutely black surface complex design turns into a wonderful element of the car body. After which you will never want to replace it again.
Step-by-step production of the hood
If you need to develop a unique carbon fiber hood, you should contact a large design studio. Tuning a car can take time if you try to do it yourself, but in this case you will have to use the services of professionals. How do they cope with the work step by step?
- First, design is carried out using computer technology. They allow you to prepare in advance detailed diagram, which accurately conveys both the external design and the complexity of the structure.
- Based finished project programming takes place milling machine. This is a difficult stage, since in this case even minor errors in calculations are unacceptable. Otherwise, aerodynamic rules will be violated or the hood will not fit the specified car model.
- Technological equipment is applied to the finished base. It becomes the main elements that will subsequently improve the driving characteristics of the car.
- The hood is installed on the car.
The apparent simplicity of the work performed is a mistake. Professional designers don’t just draw a picture, they carefully think through the design down to the smallest detail. This eliminates errors and also allows you to work towards improving certain indicators.
Car owners are tired of traditional bodies. Let latest models gradually change, becoming different from each other, but you still want to see some original elements. One of these options is the hood, which used to be repainted, but now it is better to choose carbon fiber, whose beauty remains irreplaceable.
Carbon fiber car parts are becoming fashionable due to their beauty, strength, lightness and corrosion resistance. The main disadvantage of carbon is, perhaps, its cost. But often this is not an obstacle for car enthusiasts who want to purchase or make a carbon fiber hood for a car.
The easiest way to install a carbon hood on a car is to buy a ready-made one, or order a custom hood from a suitable auto repair shop. The fact is that the manufacture of carbon parts is quite labor-intensive, painstaking and requires considerable skills. Therefore, it is quite difficult to make it at home and in the garage. In addition, sometimes carbon parts are made using high temperatures, so it is unrealistic to carry out a similar procedure with improvised means. If you are still sure of own strength
When choosing which carbon fiber hood you need, you should understand its purpose - if you are involved in motorsports, the weight of the hood will be decisive. If you want to protect parts from corrosion, then covering the hood with fiberglass may be suitable for you. If you are only interested in appearance, then perhaps you will be satisfied with just a carbon-look film.