Hand lay-up is an on open mould process. The resins are impregnated by hand into fibres, which can be in the form of chopped strand, woven, stitched or bonded fabrics. The impregnated fibres are then rolled or brushed to remove entrapped air and to compact it against the mould surface.
Advantages:
- Relative low capital investment.
- Simple principles to fabricate the part.
- Low cost tooling, if room-temperature cure resins are used.
- Wide choice of suppliers and material types.
- Labour intensive (reject rate can be high, if operators are not fully trained).
- One side of product is smooth and one side rough.
- Production rate is slow.
Disadvantages:
Mould
Mould
Product