The jetpack has been in development for almost 30 years and can finally be purchased as the first commercially available jetpack…and you won’t even need a pilot’s license, though you will have to wait about 12 months once you order.

Each component or assembly has been engineered to be light weight, strong and rigid, so the use of composite materials was vital to meet the unique demands of the jetpack.  Here’s a list of components that were made using carbon fiber:

• Ducts – along with Aramid
• Fans – along with Aramid
• Main beam
• Spine
• Fuel tank – along with Kevlar
• Undercarriage – along with aluminum alloy
• Engine heads
• Airboxes

Key manufacturing include prepreg, resin infusion (V.I.P), vacuum bagging, and rapid manufacture tooling.  Composites manufacturing was done in partnership with New Zealand’s Dynamic Composites.

The jetpack weighs 250 lbs (excluding safety equipment), is 5′x5.5′x5, and uses standard premium gasoline to run.  It’s driven by a 2.0 L V4 2 stroke engine with 200hp and two 1.5 ft wide rotors made from carbon fiber and Kevlar.  It can go as high as 8,000 feet and can fly for about 30 minutes.  What happens if the engine cuts off at 8,000 feet?  Luckily the jetpack comes equipped with a ballistic parachute.

Here’s a little video of the jetpack in action:

You can check out Martin Aircraft’s website for more information.

[Source: Tom's Guide via Gizmag]

When we first came across the product line from RAGGEDedge we were very impressed with not only the craftsmanship, but also the creativeness and uniqueness behind the product.  These are just something you won’t find anywhere else in the world.  The use of material makes the products last a long time, they can be cleaned in the dishwasher/washing machine, and they just look really really cool.

While RAGGEDedge makes a variety of gear using a variety of different materials and colors, we don’t currently carry the full lineup, but instead some of the stuff that’s more popular and of course uses carbon fiber.  In this post we’re going to do a little overview of each product that we carry at this time.  Keep in mind that RAGGEDedge is continually updating their products, so you’ll find changes from time to time, this article is only based on what’s currently available.  You can always see the full list of RAGGEDedge products we sell here.

Wallets

The wallets use triple step zig zag stitching, heavyweight threads, and carbon fiber sailcloth material.  The wallets are extremely durable as they will not absorb any water, smells or dirt.  They can be washed in the dishwasher, and dry quickly.  Over time they will mold to your body/pocket and develop their own character without falling apart.

Bi-Fold Carbon Fiber / Black

The bi-fold wallet is a larger version that is folded in half.  There are four card sleeves, a clear ID pocket, and two hidden pockets.  The clear ID window window is made from marine window vinyl (not plastic) that will hold up and remain clear with exposure to the elements.  It measures 3 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ and is less than 1/4″ thick.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

Tri-Fold Carbon Fiber / Black

The tri-fold wallet folds up three times, which gives a smaller end result.  It has the same features as the bi-fold wallet above, but only has one hidden pocket.  It uses Velcro to stay closed.  The clear ID window window is made from marine window vinyl (not plastic) that will hold up and remain clear with exposure to the elements.   It can be ordered directly from us here.

Mini Carbon Fiber / Black

The mini is great when you don’t want any bulk.  The wallet holds your ID, credit card, and a couple of bills.  It can even be used as a business card holder.  It measures 4 1/4″ by 2. 3/4″.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

Bags

We have a variety of different bags from RAGGEDedge that will meet your needs:

Airstream Duffel Bag Carbon Fiber / Black

The Airstream features rounded lines in design, carbon fiber sailcloth, and extreme functionality/durability.  They are sewn using the triple step sig zag stitch to take your abuse.  The bag weighs just under 3lbs, and you’ll never wonder which one is yours at the airport baggage carousel.  The bag has 3 gusseted zippered pockets, a double zip main opening, end grab strap, padded straps and handle wrap, shoulder strap with pad that is adjustable and removal.  It measures in at 26″ x 11″ x 12″.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

Briefcase Carbon Fiber / Black

Ready to carry your laptop and paperwork in style?  Look no further than the RAGGEDedge carbon fiber / black briefcase.  Weighing in at only 1 lb, you’ll barely notice you’re carrying it.  It features a lockable double zip main opening, a large zip pocket, marine grade zippers that will not corrode, a file divider with 3 pockets, padded carrying handles, reinforced strap load points, and a padded shoulder strap that is removable.  The briefcase measures in at 16 1/2″ x 3″ x 12.5″.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

Briefcase Carbon Fiber/ Gold Aramid

This briefcase is the same as the above, but we throw some color into the fix in the name of gold aramid material.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

Toiletry Bag Carbon Fiber / Black

The toiletry or “kit” bag is a great all-around bag that be used for anything from a toiletries kit to carrying your lunch to the beach or on the boat.  Since the bag is waterproof and washable, the possibilities of what you can use this for is endless.  It features marine grade zippers that will not corrode, a zippered end pocket, and an easy grab strap on one end.  It measures 11″ x 5″ x 6″.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

Messenger Bag Carbon Fiber / Black / White Xply

The messenger bag is a great bag for school, at the office, or wherever your next adventure takes you.  The bag uses a mixture of carbon fiber sailcloth material along with white xply for a nice contrast.  It has a full width sleeve for storing paperwork, as well as three smaller pockets for your accessories.  The wide open center cavity can fit big things like a laptop.  It also has a padded adjustable shoulder strap and measures in at 17″ x 3.5″ x 12″.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

Purse Carbon Fiber / Black

The RAGGEDedge carbon fiber sailcloth purse is for the lady that not only wants unique style, but also extreme durability.  The purse is lined in black, there is an inside pocket for easy accessibility to your cell phone.  The strap is adjustable.  You will also find a key clip ring so you’ll always know where the keys are.  Like all of the other products, the purse is washable and features water/stain resistant material.  It measures in at 9″ x 3″ x 4″.  It can be ordered directly from us here.

While it’s still in the concept stages, it seems like quite a clever idea if it could actually generate enough power.  The Eolic is made from lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum which help make it portable.  It can be mounted on its telescopic pole in just three steps.  We’d love to see some solar powered panels added to it in case there is no wind available.  There is no word on potential cost, or if it will ever move out of the concept stage.

For more pictures, take a look at the following page.

[Source: Inhabitant]

When developing the Factor 001, the engineers did not want to be limited by any preconceptions surrounding traditional road bike design.  This allowed them to start from the ground up and make an outstanding ride experience.  The bike is extremely light and riders should experience rapid acceleration with minimal exertion.  Every component was crafted in-house using the same techniques used to produce Formula One components.

The Factor 001 has a lightweight and extremely rigid carbon fiber monocoque structure.  They use a twin vane system that offers lateral stiffness with no weight penalty.  Each frame will be custom tuned to the rider geometry, allowing small changes in the frame dimensions to ensure a full custom fit.  The carbon-composite material has load sensors, wiring, control cables and lines for the hydraulic braking system fully integrated during construction.

The wheels for the bike were completely redesigned as well.  It also uses carbon fiber, but unlike existing composite designers, which can be fragile in exchange for weight savings, the Factor 001 wheels are designed to cope with the real world.  This was the most difficult component to design, they had to construct a narrow hub because of the disc brakes, and wanted to use as little spoke material as possible to improve aerodynamics.

Each bike takes six highly skilled engineers a week to make, and only a few hundred will be made.  The bike is for sale at Harrod’s while being displayed in the London Science Museum.  You can pick one up for yourself now for about $34,000, or wait for the model with integrated electronics in April 2010 which will run slightly over $40,000.  You can read more about the bike at Factor001.com.

[Source: Autoblog]

Now I don’t know much about curling, but I believe it’s pretty popular for our northern neighbors.  How much would you guess a carbon fiber curling broom will set you back?  About $150 (CAD)…which is almost twice the price of its fiberglass counterpart.  Olson Curling also has a “Fiberlite” broom which, while still up there in price, is cheaper than the carbon fiber variation ($115 CAD).

The carbon fiber broom features a carbon fiber handle with an 8″ polycarbonate shell, weighing in at just 240 grams. They call it the Reactor2.  The broom design has a swivel head that can be tightened to your desired angle using an Allen key on the built-in tension adjusters.  The included Allen key can go into the holder built into the base of the broom.

Aside from colors, Olson Curling Supplies also lets you choose a head style between a synthetic pad or the upgraded horsehair head ($22 CAD).

If you’re looking to make it into the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia for the sport of Curling…make sure you’re training with the best of the best equipment, and go carbon fiber.  Olson sells the brooms directly on eBay, which you can find here.

The next closest thing to it was Dymag wheels, who partnered with HRE to make wheels like this.  While it wasn’t a full carbon fiber wheel, it was a full carbon outer rim…still awesome, but not quite as awesome as what we saw from Weds Sport.

While we were perusing Jalopnik, we happened to come across a new post they made about the 2010 Ultima Aero by Shelby SuperCars.  The thing that really caught our eye was this part of the tag-line; “2010 Ultimate Aero Still Has $740,000 Price Tag, Throws In One-Piece Carbon Fiber Wheels For Free“.  From Jalopnik’s pictures that were taken at the 2009 Dubai International Motor Show, we see a full carbon fiber wheel installed on the $740,000 car:

This led to this picture with a “Carbon Revolution” logo on the wheel:

From that we found an Australian company named Carbon Revolution which touts it’s CR-9 wheel as the first one-piece carbon fiber wheel in the world.

So we’ll post the information that we have, and we’ll continue to try and get in touch with these guys to get more info.  We’ll definitely post any updates as we get them. (Update 2/26/10: We’ve gotten in touch with Carbon Revolution and will be following this article up in the near future with some additional information)

Carbon Revolution says that each wheel weighs 40-50% less than the best aluminum wheel of comparative size.  As a benefit, it will significantly reduce un-sprung mass, improve suspension for better grip, improve acceleration and braking, and provide a crisper/sharper steering feel.  There is some additional information from the press release:

The ‘2010 Ultimate Aero’ features the world’s first one-piece carbon fiber wheel, which has been pioneered by Carbon Revolution through a 2-year relationship with SSC. The technology behind the one-piece carbon fiber wheel has been through a five-year development period. Boasting of a nine-spoke classic design, the carbon fiber wheels are half the weight of conventional wheels, which results in improved suspension performance, better grip, improved acceleration, braking, and a sharper steering feel. Carbon Revolution is the only producer of one-piece carbon fiber wheels. Built to the highest technical and safety specification, the Carbon Revolution one-piece carbon fiber wheel not only lowers unsprung mass but is stiffer than lightweight forged aluminium wheels.

Here’s a few more pictures:

Video

Below you’ll find a video of the car being taken off a trailer and moved indoors before it left for the show in Dubai.  There are many clear shots of the wheels:

The connection between watches and aviation is strong and storied. Proof of this is that pilots are amongst the most active buyers of mechanical, luxury watches. Carbon fiber is often used in aerospace manufacturing thanks to its reinforcing properties. It is therefore always nice to see an aviation geared watch adorned with this material. The Hamilton X-Mach, which is named after its ability to calculate your Mach “speed,” balances quality, value, and looks to create the perfect luxury watch for carbon fiber and aviation enthusiasts.

Hamilton’s new leather band was conceived especially for the black PVD coated version of the X-MACH (reference H76686735). The carbon fiber stripe is lined with black croco-print leather, and grey stitching holds everything together. This combination makes for a stealthy, low contrast style, and the classic croco blends nicely with the modern carbon fiber. The carbon fiber completes the military, instrument-like style of this awesome piece.

The case of the watch is made with black PVD coated stainless steel and does not incorporate any carbon fiber. The sides of the case are decorated with a hobnail pattern that mirrors the effect of the carbon fiber on the strap. The overall look of the case coupled with the two-tone, black and silver dial is sombre and cool. The graduated, rotating bezel system enables the wearer to calculate the a moving vehicle’s Mach number using static data such as pressure altitude and calibrated air speed. This is more only an amusing feature to tinker with for most people, but adds to the overall look of the watch. In all, you are getting a modern, airplane instrument on your wrist.

One of the best things about a watch with a Swiss mechanical movement, especially the ETA 7750 caliber inside the X-Mach, is the feel of the watch. Since the movement is made almost purely of metal parts instead of the silicon and plastic of most quartz movements, it adds density. When wearing the watch, you feel the motion of the rotor winding the watch automatically, reminding you of the complex micro-mechanics going on within the 44mm case.

The Hamilton X-Mach is a serious timepiece, which offers a very well balanced, modern aviator style by mixing carbon fiber with black PVD coated steel, hobnail decoration, and a stealthy instrument-like dial. The CAN$2,295 (US$1,945)retail price does not reflect the high-end features of the X-Mack, which is comparable to some more expensive models such as the Breitling Navitimer or the IWC Spitfire Chronograph. The rotating bezel system, while functional, is more of a tribute to extreme speed and to the human spirit of innovation. It brings to mind hypersonic projects like Nasa’s Dryden X-15 and others.

Project Background

Based in beautiful San Luis Obispo, CA, the Cal Poly Supermileage Vehicle (SMV) Team has been ranked within the top two in the US for fuel efficiency within the past three years. In 2008, they set their own team record of 2752.3 miles per gallon using a 50cc 4-stroke combustion engine and 89-octane Shell gasoline. While able to achieve astounding gas mileage numbers, the vehicle lacks much needed practicality. Within the past year, the team has been pushing to develop a new car with a goal of being able to achieve 500mpg.  It’s called an Urban Concept Vehicle, and bridges the gap between their ultra-high mileage prototype vehicle and cars currently on the road. Their new design, still under construction, will resemble that of a Smart car in size, but with styling similar to their current prototype vehicle, shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Cal Poly Prototype Vehicle

The Cal Poly SMV Team approached Cal Poly senior mechanical engineering students to ask them to build a custom composite seat for their car, as well as a set of carbon fiber wheels for the new vehicle. This post will outline the construction technique used by the Central Coast Composites team for the Urban Concept vehicle seat.

Materials

• Approx. 2’x3’x4’ block of high-density polyisocyanurate foam
• Foam cutting and shaping tools (saws and belt sanders worked well for rough cutting)
• Approx. 8 sq. yds. of 3K twill carbon fiber cloth
• US Composites 635 Medium Cure Epoxy Resin
• Perforated Release Film
• Breather Cloth
• Vacuum Bag
• Air Compressor
• Mixing containers, tongue depressors, and squeegees

Design Approach

Our design had to be under 7.5 lbs and able to support the weight and dynamic loading of a 200 lb driver during operation. We chose a full bucket seat over other designs because of simplicity and ease of manufacturing. Our seat would consist of a foam core wrapped in multiple layers of carbon fiber. A solid model was created in ABAQUS, a finite element analysis program, to determine the number of layers and fiber orientations needed for the composite seat. Our calculations showed that two layers around the whole seat would be sufficient in supporting the loads of the vehicle and driver during operation. It was also not necessary for us to orient the fibers in any other direction besides 0,90. In order to ease the manufacturing, we decided to layup two back layers first and allow it to fully cure before laying up the front two layers.

Procedure

Step 1: Cut Foam To Size

Our foam actually came in a large 2’x’4’x8’ block that needed to be trimmed to size. We cut off a large enough section for our seat and in order to conserve the expensive foam, we cut enough off for the back profile of the seat and then used some spray-on adhesive to glue a smaller piece at the bottom where the seat was going to go. If enough foam is available, this does not need to be done and the foam can be cut from one large block. Rough cuts to the angles were made using hand saws.

Step 2: Shaping The Foam

There were design constraints for our seat that limited the angles that the seat could rest at. This is why the seat is reclined back as far as it is. The seat contours were determined primarily by what was most comfortable. Rough shaping was done with a belt sander, allowing material to be quickly removed (and also made for a big mess). We used a shop vacuum in conjunction with the belt sander to avoid foam dust from flying everywhere. Small foam shaping files were used to detail the contours. We found and eliminated pressure points in the seat simply by sitting in it, sanding it down further, and repeating. This went on until all five members of the team deemed the seat comfortable. We had to constantly check for symmetry, which we did by lining the seat up against a wall with grid-like lines.

Figure 2: Rough shaping of foam plug

As shown in Figure 2, the seat top was shaped first, leaving a flat surface on the bottom that aided in creating a symmetrical and properly dimensioned seat. After the seat top was fully shaped, the bottom half was rounded out. We left a flat surface on the bottom for our seat bracket (not completed) to post-bond to.

Step 3: Cutting The Carbon Fiber Cloth

Dry carbon fiber frays easily when cut. This can lead to gaps forming in the weave and an ugly part. We attempted to minimize this by placing tape on the cloth and cutting along the tape lines. While it aided in cutting the cloth without fraying, it becomes necessary to remove the tape during the layup process. At first, we used painter’s blue masking tape, Figure 3, but this frayed the edges when the tape was removed. We also tried using transparent Scotch tape, which worked much better, but made it difficult to drape the cloth properly over the contours of the seat. The carbon was cut to size, two back layers and two front layers, while still dry and the tape left on so that it would not fray while impregnating the resin.

Figure 3: Using blue painter’s tape to prevent edges from fraying

Step 4: Preparing The Vacuum Bag

The bag was cut to size by placing the seat inside and allowing extra space for the bag to conform to the seat shape. By sealing off three sides of the vacuum bag and leaving one side open, we decreased the time needed to fully seal the bag later.

Step 5: Impregnating The Resin

For the medium cure epoxy selected, pot life ranged from 20-25 minutes. This was not much time to get all laminate layers wet and laid on our foam plug. The back layers were wetted first. We decided the best way to wet the layers was to lay both cloth layers inside an oversized vacuum bag and to place resin in between the layers inside the bag. Then the resin was spread throughout the cloth from the outside of the vacuum bag using the plastic squeegee. Once the cloth was fully wetted, it was immediately removed from the bag and placed on the foam.

Step 6: Placing Cloth On Foam

Despite having pre-cut the cloth, after wetting, the cloth stretched slightly, necessitating further cuts in order for it to drape properly. To our surprise, the scotch tape was much easier to remove with the cloth wetted, leaving little fraying compared to removing the tape while dry. The layer with masking tape did not perform similarly, so that layer was placed on first, tape side down. We left the tape in since it would not affect the performance or the appearance of the inner layer. The ends that draped over the edges were taped to the front side of the seat. These edges would be trimmed later so we did not mind placing extra tape on them to secure the back layers firmly to the foam.

Step 7: Applying Peel Ply and Breather Cloth

The peel ply does not drape well, so we had to make many cuts in the material in order to get it to fold over the contours well. Because the peel ply is removed later, pieces can be cut as much as necessary without affecting the layup. By this time, we were well past the 20-25 minute pot life of the resin, so the resin began getting tackier. This allowed us to easily stick small pieces of peel ply around the complex curves.  At least one layer of breather cloth was placed over the peel ply.

Step 8: Applying The Vacuum

Because the bag is already prepared, the foam with wetted cloth, peel ply, and breather cloth can be placed directly into the bag and sealed quickly. Using a vacuum pump and valve, a vacuum was applied to the seat for about two hours. Figure 4 shows the part under the vacuum. Figure 5 shows how the perforated peel ply allowed extra resin to be absorbed by the breather cloth. This helped keep the seat weight to a minimum.  Because the bag was sealed well, after removal of the vacuum, we experienced no problems with leaking.

Figure 4: Back layers under vacuum

Figure 5: Extra resin bleeding through perforated peel ply into breather cloth

Step 9: Trimming the Extra Cloth

A couple days later, we returned to un-wrap the seat and trim the overhanging edges. Figure 6 shows the part right out of the vacuum bag. The vacuum bag was saved for use with the front layers. Using a box cutter, the extra carbon was easily trimmed off.

Figure 6: Removal of peel ply on bottom layers

Step 10: Front Layers

For the front layers, steps 5 through 8 were repeated in a similar fashion. In order to keep the cloth adhered to the inner curvature of the seat, we tried stapling it to the foam. This worked to some degree, but in the end, we removed the staple in order to allow the cloth to shift during vacuum bagging. The carbon had to be trimmed more carefully prior to curing since we would not have the luxury of cutting into the bottom layers in order to remove loose ends on the top layers. Accidentally cutting into the back layers would also be detrimental to the strength of the part. We placed extra breather cloth, rolled into a tube, right at the back bottom of the seat in order to increase the pressure to the carbon there during curing and to minimize pleating. Figure 7 shows the front layers under vacuum.

Figure 7: Curing the front layers of carbon under vacuum

In hind sight, we should have placed more layers of breather cloth under the vacuum valve, as the valve left a distinct mark on the part’s surface despite the two layers of breather cloth already there.

Final Part

Figure 8 shows, from left to right, the seat’s front, side, and back as it stands. We noticed some marks on the front that appeared to be pleats, but these are just resin bubbles that will be sanded off. Prior to attaching the bracket, we plan to completely sand down the seat and apply a clear coat to it.

Figure 8: Final part shown from three different angles

Closing Remarks

Please note that camera lens distortion could cause the seat to appear more asymmetric that it truly is. That being said, we did have some issues getting the headrest symmetric for fear of taking off too much material. There are also a fair number of pleats on the rear layups. The front side was much better controlled during both the layup and vacuum bagging procedures. Being the first time my teammates and I have ever worked with carbon fiber to this degree, we are very satisfied with this part and our client, the Cal Poly SMV Team, is also happy with the way it has turned out. We learned a lot from this process and hope to apply all our new composite manufacturing knowledge to the design and build of carbon fiber car wheels.

Peugeot hasn’t released much information on the bicycle yet, but as you can see in the picture it’s a radical design that can potentially change the future of bikes.  What we’re more interested in is the carbon fiber construction, but we also found the chainless drivetrain interesting.

Bike Rumor believes that the tension rod (or cable) that goes from the seat to the head tube keeps the bike together once a persons weight is put on it.

The other interesting thing is the tires.  Are those just covers?  Or are those some sort of new tire concept?  We’ll have to wait for Peugeot to come out and better explain these pictures.  In the meantime, we’ll continue to gawk at them.

[Source: BikeRumor]

Keep in mind there’s a bunch of different ways to make these, so we’re going to post a few that you can use.  If you’d like to contribute some, feel free to upload them to Flickr and add them to our Flickr carbon fiber group.  For now here’s 9 different styles you can choose to use.  I’ll explain how to get them on your phone at the end of the article so be sure to read below if you don’t know how.

Real Twill Weave Carbon Fiber Photo

The three pictures below are actual pictures of the carbon fiber weave that we took from our tri-fold carbon fiber/leather wallet which can be purchased here.

Real Standard Weave Carbon Fiber Photo

This is a picture of a clear-coated standard carbon fiber weave.  The picture was taken of the carbon fiber iPhone case (midnight black) that we sell here.

Standard Weave Carbon Fiber Pattern

Twill Weave Carbon Fiber Pattern

How To Make One Of The Above Patterns A Background On Your iPhone

In order to make one of the above a background picture, simply right click and save the one you like to your desktop.  You can then move into your pictures folder that iTunes syncs with, and it will be on your phone.  Alternatively you can also e-mail the picture to your iPhone and then save it to your pictures on the phone itself.  Once it’s on the phone, go to Photos, then the iphone album, you should see the picture there.  Click it and, then hit the icon on the bottom left that looks like a box with an arrow in it.  Then hit the option to “Use as wallpaper”.  Now when you turn on your phone before you unlock it, you’ll see the carbon fiber background!