Advantages Of Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM)

1.1.1.1 Resin Transfer Moulding (RTM)
This process uses a two sided (halves) mould that forms both surfaces of a laminate. The lower side of the mould is made rigid while the upper side is either a rigid or a flexible mould. The two sides fit together to form a mould cavity. With resin transfer infusion the reinforcements are placed into the mould cavity and the cavities are clamped together. Resin is then pumped into the mould, infusing the reinforcement material in the process. Once the mould is filled with resin, it is then allowed to cure. After curing, the mould halves are separated and the part removed for final trimming and finishing. RTM produces large parts like baths, aircraft parts and automotive components. The advantages would

Vacuum bag moulding is an improvement of the hand layup, it uses a vacuum to eliminate entrapped air and excess resin, whereas the hand layup uses squeegees and roolers to get rid of the traped air. Compared to the hand layup, the vacuum method provides a higher reinforcement concentration, better infusion between layers and more control over resin and reinforcement ratio.The biggest disadvantage with this process is that the resin may cure before vacuum process is applied especially in the complex shaped geometries of the laminates. The advantages would be the vacuum bagging finished part possesses a better strength and the part is lighter. The process is not difficult and very easy to switch to, and also the materials for basic parts are affordable and can be accessed easily. Vaccuum bagging disadvantages would be the waste of money and resource, when the removal of the resin that was first brought in has to be removed again. A high level of skill is required by the operator, such as mixing and control of the resin

The construction of the stacked flat laminates is carried out by a mould of rigid and flexible sides. This permits the selection of the mould that processes the laminate very rapidly, accurately and with minimum waste of raw materials. The manufacturing method would produce laminates of greater strength and design flexibility in comparison to the traditional methods such as the hand lay-up.
Due to the potential problems that can arise with infusion moulding, a trial and error approach should be used to perfect the setup (Fibre-Glast, 2013). These potential problems are leaks occurring or air getting into the resin inlets, which can create air bubbles or the air could create locks which could lead to resin pooling the part. This setback is due to the layout of the resin inlet pipes relative to the vacuum pipes. There is no set layout of these pipes; they vary from part to part.
Figure 1.10 is an image of the overall setup of a resin infusion process. The setup involves the required equipment and materials, as well as their specific placement to form the