PROTOTYPING

Finishline advanced composites has been doing prototypes for over two decades now.

A sleek, modern motorcycle with a silver body and gold accents stands proudly on display, its elegance enhanced by a sultry backdrop.

An integral part of the design process is prototyping. At Finishline Advanced Composites, our advanced composite prototype group is staffed by experienced engineers and seasoned composite craftsmen.

Composite prototyping can encompass a wide range, from simple test parts to fully functional production-ready assemblies. Frequently, individual components and sub-assemblies undergo rigorous testing to verify design parameters and ensure that the final product meets all the required specifications.

In addition to basic functionality, high-quality advanced composite/carbon fiber construction often offers clients the ability to utilize prototypes as marketing tools and, in most cases, provides sellable products. Our prototype team strives for production-level quality in both form and function, even during the early stages of product development.

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A group of filmmakers, armed with cameras and gear, gather around a large animal-trap-style device in the dry, open field.

Finishline advanced composites innovative manufacturing methods include pre-preg lay-up and autoclave processing, wet lay-up, VARTM (vacuum assisted resin transfer molding), high temperature press molding just to name a few. Our 3-D printing services and CNC machining services ensures accuracy while maximizing material utilization.

We provide the highest level of fabrication, welding, assembly, finishing, painting, 3-D printing, CNC machining, and scanning. Our high precision measurement equipment and specialized machinery, equipment enables us to meet to the highest standards of quality, tight tolerances, and competitive leadtimes.

A person grips a sleek, black underwater camera housing, its rectangular shape enhanced by a clear front lens and sturdy metal latches.
Two sleek black carbon fiber motorcycle air intake covers, accented with silver details, rest elegantly on a gray surface. The date "08/22/2010" is subtly displayed in the corner, adding a touch of timeless sophistication.

For more information regarding our advanced composites/carbon fiber prototype services or to discuss your specific applications needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us. As experts in the carbon fiber/advanced composite industry with decades of combined experience, your satisfaction is of the utmost priority. We look forward to working with you on your upcoming projects.

Advantages of Composites
Light Weight – Composites are light in weight, compared to most woods and metals. Their lightness is important in automobiles and aircraft, for example, where less weight means better fuel efficiency (more miles to the gallon). People who design airplanes are greatly concerned with weight, since reducing a craft’s weight reduces the amount of fuel it needs and increases the speeds it can reach. Some modern airplanes are built with more composites than metal including the new Boeing 787, Dreamliner.                                 

High Strength – Composites can be designed to be far stronger than aluminum or steel. Metals are equally strong in all directions. But composites can be engineered and designed to be strong in a specific direction.

Strength Related to Weight – Strength-to-weight ratio is a material’s strength in relation to how much it weighs. Some materials are very strong and heavy, such as steel. Other materials can be strong and light, such as bamboo poles. Composite materials can be designed to be both strong and light. This property is why composites are used to build airplanes—which need a very high strength material at the lowest possible weight. A composite can be made to resist bending in one direction, for example. When something is built with metal, and greater strength is needed in one direction, the material usually must be made thicker, which adds weight. Composites can be strong without being heavy. Composites have the highest strength-to-weight ratios in structures today.

Corrosion Resistance – Composites resist damage from the weather and from harsh chemicals that can eat away at other materials. Composites are good choices where chemicals are handled or stored. Outdoors, they stand up to severe weather and wide changes in temperature.

High-Impact Strength – Composites can be made to absorb impacts—the sudden force of a bullet, for instance, or the blast from an explosion. Because of this property, composites are used in bulletproof vests and panels, and to shield airplanes, buildings, and military vehicles from explosions.

Design Flexibility – Composites can be molded into complicated shapes more easily than most other materials. This gives designers the freedom to create almost any shape or form. Most recreational boats today, for example, are built from fiberglass composites because these materials can easily be molded into complex shapes, which improve boat design while lowering costs. The surface of composites can also be molded to mimic any surface finish or texture, from smooth to pebbly.

Part Consolidation – A single piece made of composite materials can replace an entire assembly of metal parts. Reducing the number of parts in a machine or a structure saves time and cuts down on the maintenance needed over the life of the item.

Dimensional Stability – Composites retain their shape and size when they are hot or cool, wet or dry. Wood, on the other hand, swells and shrinks as the humidity changes. Composites can be a better choice in situations demanding tight fits that do not vary. They are used in aircraft wings, for example, so that the wing shape and size do not change as the plane gains or loses altitude.

Nonconductive – Composites are nonconductive, meaning they do not conduct electricity. This property makes them suitable for such items as electrical utility poles and the circuit boards in electronics. If electrical conductivity is needed, it is possible to make some composites conductive.

Nonmagnetic – Composites contain no metals; therefore, they are not magnetic. They can be used around sensitive electronic equipment. The lack of magnetic interference allows large magnets used in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) equipment to perform better. Composites are used in both the equipment housing and table. In addition, the construction of the room uses composites rebar to reinforced the concrete walls and floors in the hospital.

Radar Transparent – Radar signals pass right through composites, a property that makes composites ideal materials for use anywhere radar equipment is operating, whether on the ground or in the air. Composites play a key role in stealth aircraft, such as the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 stealth bomber, which is nearly invisible to radar.

Low Thermal Conductivity – Composites are good insulators—they do not easily conduct heat or cold. They are used in buildings for doors, panels, and windows where extra protection is needed from severe weather.

Durable – Structures made of composites have a long life and need little maintenance. We do not know how long composites last, because we have not come to the end of the life of many original composites. Many composites have been in service for half a century.