https://hackaday.com/2021/10/15/electroplating-carbon-fibers-can-have-interesting-results/ Skip to content Logo Hackaday Primary Menu * Home * Blog * Hackaday.io * Tindie * Hackaday Prize * Submit * About * Search for: [ ] [Search] October 17, 2021 Electroplating Carbon Fibers Can Have Interesting Results 15 Comments * by: Lewin Day October 15, 2021 * * * * * Title: [Electroplating Carbo] Copy Short Link: [https://hackaday.com] Copy [3672431633] Typically, electroplating is used to put coatings of one metal upon another, often for reasons of corrosion protection or to reduce wear. However, other conductive materials can be electroplated, as demonstrated by [Michal Baran]. Finer details are sparse, but [Michal's] images show the basic concept behind producing a composite metal material hand sculpture. The initial steps involve 3D printing a perforated plastic shell of a hand, and stuffing it with carbon fibers. It appears some kind of plastic balls are also used in order to help fill out the space inside the hand mold. Then, it's a simple matter of dunking the plastic hand in a solution for what appears to be copper electroplating, with the carbon fiber hooked up as one of the electrodes. The carbon fibers are then knitted together by the copper attached by the electroplating process. The mold can then be cut away, and the plastic filling removed, and a metal composite hand is all that's left. [Michal] has experimented with other forms too, but the basic concept is that these conductive fibers can readily be stuffed into molds or held in various shapes, and then coated with metal. We'd love to see the results more closely to determine the strength and usefulness of the material. Similar techniques can be used to strengthen 3D printed parts, too. If you've got your own ideas on how to best use this technique, sound off below. If you've already done it, though, do drop us a line! [Thanks to Krzysztof for the tip] * [share_face] * [share_twit] * [share_in] * [share_mail] Posted in Misc HacksTagged carbon fiber, composite, composite material Post navigation - Carbon Sequestration As A Service Doesn't Quite Add Up Hackaday Remoticon: Call For Proposals Extended To October 20th - 15 thoughts on "Electroplating Carbon Fibers Can Have Interesting Results" 1. Greg Garriss says: October 15, 2021 at 11:39 am Interesting idea. I worked with metalizing carbon fiber structures in the 80s and 90s at Boeing. Unfortunately most of it was cured epoxy and prepreg. The bare fiber was difficult to get from the manufacturers as they were struggling to produce. Report comment Reply 1. PWalsh says: October 15, 2021 at 12:57 pm That was my first thought. Where does one get loose carbon fibres like he shows? Do you just shred carbon fibre cloth? Report comment Reply 1. SteP says: October 15, 2021 at 11:34 pm You buy CF in rolls. Look for carbon fiber roving. Report comment Reply 1. yetihehe says: October 16, 2021 at 9:40 am Fibers from new roving can have problems, Michal said he used fibers from recycling (pirolysis). They would probably have rougher surface, which can help with coating. Report comment Reply 2. Michal Baran says: October 16, 2021 at 11:14 am You are right! Often carbon fibers are coated and therefore do not conduct electricity. I used recycled fibers, they were clean, pyrolysis treated. Carbon fiber felt works good, too. Report comment Reply 2. David Beck says: October 15, 2021 at 11:44 am You can electroplate onto just about any conductive surface. So the trick then becomes how do you make surfaces conductive. According to my electrochemistry professor, they make plated baby shoes and plated leaves by coating them with graphite. Then you just hook them up to the negative electrode with the positive electrode made of copper and dunk them into copper sulfate. You use low currents at first to establish a coating then increase until you've got the copper plate you want. As always, areas where the two electrodes are closest plate the most. You can get more uniform plating if you use cyanide based solutions but that's another longer story . I've never tried this but that's what we were taught. Report comment Reply 1. simon says: October 15, 2021 at 7:05 pm Commercially no. Usually you use a catalyst laquer that triggers deposition of a thin layer of electroless copper. Then you can electroplate copper and nickel onto that. This is the same as how the pth holes in pcbs are done. Report comment Reply 3. ASd says: October 15, 2021 at 12:53 pm it is done on yacht from 5-10yrs ... i dont get it what is new ? Report comment Reply 1. Michal Baran says: October 16, 2021 at 11:16 am I was looking for such information. Please give examples, I will be grateful! Report comment Reply 4. Donald Papp says: October 15, 2021 at 1:20 pm This looks fantastic. The idea of stitching/binding together conductive carbon fibers with copper into abstract shapes using hobbyist-accessible equipment is wild. Report comment Reply 1. Michal Baran says: October 16, 2021 at 11:20 am Yes! You feel it well! This method is just as good for creating works of art as satellites :) Report comment Reply 5. Michael Chernoff says: October 15, 2021 at 2:20 pm Now do this with monel or inconel or one of the other supermetals used in jet engines. Report comment Reply 1. Fred says: October 15, 2021 at 8:34 pm The only thing special about inconel is the price and strength at high temperature. If you're not going to high temperatures, there's usually a steel with a coating that's stronger and much cheaper. Report comment Reply 2. Ray Rocket says: October 16, 2021 at 9:06 am Supermetals are typically nickel based. Nickel can be electrodeposited, the challenge would be the placing other alloying elements in the precise ratios, especially for complex geometries. Report comment Reply 6. Harvie.CZ says: October 17, 2021 at 1:05 am Can you use steel wool instead of carbon fibers? Would be cheaper... How strong is your material? Does it break/delaminate easily? Report comment Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy) This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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