Reusable Rubber vacuum bagging. Cost/Benefit discussion.

[Mongo]

I saw a video where a company uses a system to create reusable rubber(?) vacuum bags.  I was wondering, at what usage do these systems make sense?  Will I need to use it to make 25 copies of 1 part before I start to see the benefit?  50 copies?  100?

[lo_0l]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:12 AM, Mongo said:

I saw a video where a company uses a system to create reusable rubber(?) vacuum bags.  I was wondering, at what usage do these systems make sense?  Will I need to use it to make 25 copies of 1 part before I start to see the benefit?  50 copies?  100?

Are you referring to bladders? Do you have a link to the video you're referring to?

[Adam]

@Mongo I don't know the price for these reusable rubber bladders, but I can tell you that vacuum bags can be difficult to get right. With time and practice, like anything, you get better at it, but it takes some getting used to. 

[AJ Sawyer]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:12 AM, Mongo said:

I saw a video where a company uses a system to create reusable rubber(?) vacuum bags.  I was wondering, at what usage do these systems make sense?  Will I need to use it to make 25 copies of 1 part before I start to see the benefit?  50 copies?  100?

I've used this material to make reusable bags before. It's pretty easy and cheap to do by hand, no special equipment. The trick is one light brush coat before building up thickness (to avoid bubbles). https://www.reynoldsam.com/product/ez-brush/

[Jeremy Senne]

General comment on this.  If you or your team are experienced in vacuum bagging with typical release film/breather/vacuum bag/sealant tape materials you will probably need to be in the 10+ quantity range before you see a benefit.

It is worth noting that this is also very ply count dependent.  If your ply count is low, this really only helps you with final bag.  If your ply count is high (30+) and you have a lot of debulk steps this can significantly cut down on the disposable material use and time to bag.  Most places that I've worked have had some sort of quick debulk setup for flat plates as this shows a ROI quickly.