Glass roving and carbon tow can also be used for pultrusion and filament winding. Vinyl, Floating Boat This is far superior to cheaper chopper gun-made items in terms of strength, durability and weight. The problem with a chopper gun is getting the correct ratio of resin to the fabric. It was fast. Another difference is polyester resin vs epoxy resin. Some builders use a chopper gun without roving (the part that gets chopped by razors in the gun) to spray and catalyze the resin at the same time. Thanks! The Graco RS Chop Gun delivers a superior spray pattern, reducing VOC emissions, is light weight and has the ability for you to quickly change out “no-cut” blade cartridges increasing your uptime and keeping your production moving. Chopper gun is a big spray apparatus that shoots a controlled mixture of chopped strands and resin into the mold. Kits, Boat Trailer Towers, Tow Ropes & Tubes, Shop Most cars are built with polyester (and so are … During infusion, the fabric stack is sealed over with air-tight heavy-duty polyethylene sheeting, So, as the vacuum draws the resin through the stack of reinforcing materials, the vacuum sucking on the plastic covering sheet also compacts the various fabric layers tightly together. Two major differences are chopper gun vs hand laid fiberglass. We apply chopped fiberglass by a “chopper gun” that simultaneously chops continuous strands of glass fiber into roughly 1” pieces while spraying resin and catalyst all onto the mold. It all boils down to the skill of the operator for both hand layup and chopper gun. The fiberglass spray lay-up process is similar to the hand lay-up process but differs in the application of the fiber and resin to the mold. It is not well known but the quality is very high. As with hand lay-up, gel coat is first applied to the mold and allowed to cure. Accessories, Electronic Navigation A lot of marketing effort goes into discussing how different fiberglass yachts get built. Alternatively, a chopper gun can be used to mechanically apply the glass reinforcement . Breakers, Power Packs & Jump The hulls are all hand laid no chopper guns. It is then backed with an exclusive, pure vinyl ester barrier coat and 3 oz. & The fiberglass had absorbed the impact with no structural damage. PFDs, Roof Racks, Carriers, Topic Options. Combos, Fishing Tools & Screws, Boat Handles, Pulls, Little more expensive but way better. Our process starts with the design of a zero flaw mold. Sockets, Marine Electrical October 15, 2019, 11:47pm #3. Let me explain. But since A has more cross-sectional area (because it is thicker) than B, the two end up having the same strength when considered on an absolute basis. Most boats until fairly recently were hand laid. If properly and well executed, infused lay-up achieves an optimized reinforcing-to-resin ratio of about 70/30. The Chopper Gun makes it easy to quickly cover large surfaces with fiberglass. Hand lay-up involves placing pieces of precut reinforcing fabric into the female tool (or mold) and saturating them with catalyzed or co-reacted liquid polymer — polyester, vinyl ester, or epoxy resin. Financing, Iboats Spray-Up also known as chop method of creating fiberglass objects by spraying short strands of glass out of a pneumatic gun. Covers, Boat Wiring & Then a first layer of fiberglass is applied with a chopper gun. Even the best of materials in the wrong hands won't turn out well. Used in many wrapping applications and also in areas where strength and stiffness is required only in one specific direction. 326 First St., Suite 16 That doesn’t mean vacuum infusion isn’t desirable, only that field results vary widely from boatyard to boatyard, and that you should not pre-judge which product is likely to be better based solely on which lay-up technique is used. Why Do We Use Chopped Fiberglass vs. Hand-Laid Fiberglass to Build Strength? I have no idea how the new C 22's are laid … For example, a first-class hand-laid hull is preferable to a poorly-done infused product. Dock, Cabin and Racks, Fish Finders, Sounders The Chopper Gun makes it easy to quickly cover large surfaces with fiberglass. I knew I was venturing into a different way of doing fiberglass when I researched chopper vs. hand laid. Caulking, Marine Engine Power Cat made our first fiberglass boat in 1958 using the hand lay-up system and … Professionals, Boat Topics and Questions (not engine topics). Chopped fiber reinforcement and catalyzed resin are deposited in the mold from a chopper/spray gun. Hitches, & But most importantly, hand-lamination makes far stronger parts than any chopper gun could ever aspire to. So if two almost identical hulls are laid up, one (call it Hull A) using hand-lay techniques and the other (call it Hull B) using vacuum infusion procedures, with identical configurations of fiber reinforcing, hull A will end up with more resin in its cured laminate than hull B. Consequently, hull A will be not only a bit heavier, but somewhat thicker. An adjustable blade assembly controls the size of the fiberglass strands, and the trigger controls the speed at which these strands are ejected from the gun and onto the mold surface. We then roll it out to consolidate and remove air. Parts, Inflatable Chopper layed fiberglass requires significantly less labor to apply. Anacortes, WA 98221 The advantages over plastic are refined lines, reduced weight, and equal or lower cost. And in yachts, you will remember, weight reduction almost always makes a difference to performance and range. Sealant, & Contact An Expert Where to Buy. Bilge Pump, Tires, Rims, & Hub A Chopper Gun mix has to be adjusted each time it is used and supplies are changed. Threaded fiberglass through machine rollers. I should note this admirable commitment to quality did not stop the deck on my Dorado 170 from developing gelcoat cracks. And it can produce a high-quality product, albeit one that, all other factors equal, will be a bit heavier for a given strength than a laminate laid up using vacuum infusion techniques. Chopped Many boats will have both methods used in their construction. However, since we’re assuming, for sake of explanation, that the absolute amount, type, and arrangement of reinforcing is the same in both hulls, and that, therefore, the total load each hull respectively can carry at failure is the same, the thicker hull (the hand-laid hull A) will carry less load at failure per unit of cross-sectional area. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. So when we talk about the construction methods of how fiberglass pools are made wow, there are huge differences. Per Malibu's website: Each Malibu begins with a meticulously sprayed 10-step ArmorCote gel coat process. Cloth and mat frequently imprint through the gelcoat to the point where it can be seen. The downsides of infusion include the possibility of a failure to fully infuse due to a rupture of the bag seal and a resultant loss of vacuum during the process. Gelcoat is then applied to the mold. I have been fixing these all over my car and I see no end in sight. Forums, Find Chopper Gun or Hand Laid This is probably the most misunderstood procedure in the fiberglass process. Ski, Wakeboard Deals, Paint & Maintenance The absolute tensile and bending strengths of an FRP laminate depends almost entirely on the strength, quantity, and type of the contained glass or other fibers and their orientation in the cured final product. They also include the possibility of an insufficiently complete wet-out of the reinforcing material that leaves dry spots in the laminate which must be cut out and patched post-infusion. "Scout hand lays every part of every boat built (no chopper guns!) After a couple of hiccups (see the resin pool pictures! This is the quickest thus the cheapest way of laminating a hull. In these cases the structure of the boat is crafted from wood which is then layered with or encapsulated in hand-laid fiberglass and epoxy resin. Chopper guns are typically used for other than hull parts where strength is not the main consideration. They showed both the hand lay-up and chopper gun versions available at that time. JavaScript is disabled. Riptide Terrova 80 Trolling Motor w/i-Pilot & Bluetooth, Inflatable Accessories, Pontoon Bimini The reason Whaler used a chopper gun lay up is because it produces a smoother and more uniform hull. Hardware, Marine Although the labor in vacuum infusion might be less, the materials and consumable items associated with the process are relatively quite expensive. Fiberglass Gun Roving is fed through the back of the gun in a long continuous piece. Chopper guns generally produce heavier and thicker hulls than hand layup, but sometimes that does not matter. Galley, Covers and Now, Shop She didn’t have to repair it often. Deals, Electrical 1070 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 109 Lighting, Marine Teak Deals, Dealer When fiberglass resin and fiber material are applied in a mold, every square centimeter of that material needs to be hand rolled. Copyright © 2019 IBOATS. Holders, Cabin Accessories & Roving also is used for building thickness quickly. This is guaranteed because the fibreglass is supplied in rolls.These rolls are cut to size and are laid one on top of the other on the mould during the hand lamination process ensuring the consistent thickness of the product … Chopper Gun or Hand Laid This is probably the most misunderstood procedure in the fiberglass process. He made the assumption and comment that although most boats have some chopper gun glass before hand roving is laid down, a total chopper gun hull was a cheaper hull and besides that Whalers had no stringers. I knew I was venturing into a different way of doing fiberglass when I researched chopper vs. hand laid. ), Scott got me dialed in. Acessories, Fish Cleaning Hand laid is where you take mat or cloth, wet it out, and lay it by hand into the mold. Pumps, Marine Pump Replacement It was actually their idea. Outboards, Shop All, Boat Bimini Boat, Sell A Seats, Pontoon Boat Seats & Rafts, Paddle #526 Gun Roving is fed into the rear of the gun. Axles, Boat Trailer Tie A special roller is used to compress … All of our products feature hand-laid fiberglass construction, using premium grade materials. As the name implies, hand lay-up involves saturating glass reinforcement and applying this material by hand to the mold . Charts & Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 Plumbing, Fresh Water Boat Covers, Other Mercury Available in 3 Pump Ratios 10:1, 16:1, and 27:1 Systems Feature A 1.0GPM Stainless Steel Fluid Pump Apollo Available in 4 Different Pump Ratios . Provided all other factors are held equal — namely, that resins with equivalent post-cure mechanical properties are used in both cases, and very similar types, quantities, and placement of reinforcing materials are employed — a hand-laid laminate will be very close in strength to that of its vacuum infused version. Every single person I spoke to at your company knows the true meaning … Detectors, Binoculars & Thanks The pics he sent me show a little wear and tear, but nothing bad. (510) 227-2100. The hand laid fiberglass construction process is labor intensive and requires the touch of a skilled craftsman. Continuous strand glass roving and initiated resin are then fed through a chopper gun, which deposits the resin-saturated “chop” on the mold. Marine Battery Chargers, Shop Trailer Winches, Shop A skilled guy can do that without getting too much resin. At Bluestar we use hand lamination for our fiberglass. 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