Design and manufacture of hand-lay-up moulding process for FRP boats: an innovative approach to boat manufacturing
In the modern ship manufacturing industry, FRP boats have become an important shipbuilding material due to its lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance and other characteristics. However, in the manufacturing process of FRP boats, the design of hand-lay-up moulding process is a crucial part. In this paper, the design and manufacturing process of hand-lay-up moulding process of FRP boats will be introduced in detail.
The hand-lay-up moulding process is a traditional composite manufacturing process that involves mixing resin and fibre reinforcing materials by hand and then applying them to a mould to form the desired shape and size through a curing process. This process is simple but requires a high degree of skill and experience.
In the manufacturing process of fibreglass boats, the shape and dimensions of the boat first need to be designed. This step is usually done by computer-aided design (CAD) software to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the design. Then, based on the design drawings, the appropriate wooden or metal moulds are created.
The next step is the hand lay-up operation, which is the core part of the hand lay-up moulding process. In this step, workers mix together pre-prepared resins and fibre reinforcements and apply them evenly to the mould. This process requires a high degree of skill and experience as the quality of the final product can only be guaranteed by ensuring that the resin and fibre reinforcing materials are evenly mixed and applied.
After the hand gluing operation is completed, the mould needs to be placed in a suitable environment for curing. The curing process usually takes a few days, during which the temperature and humidity of the mould need to be checked regularly to ensure that the curing process runs smoothly.
Finally, when the curing process is complete, the FRP boat can be removed from the mould. At this point the boat will also require some post-processing work such as sanding and painting to increase its aesthetics and durability.
Overall, the design and manufacture of FRP boats by hand lay-up moulding process is a complex and delicate process which requires a high degree of skill and experience. However, it is this process that enables FRP boats to have excellent properties such as light weight, high strength and corrosion resistance, thus occupying an important position in the ship manufacturing industry.
