Knowledge Base

Your source for best practices and tips for working with carbon fiber.

Frequently Asked Questions

By Aneel Kabir | March 21, 2023 |

What does Elevated Materials do? In addition to our carbon fiber sheet and billet manufacturing, we offer a wide range of machining and finishing services to deliver finished parts that can be used in a wide range of applications. All of these processes take place in-house giving us a lot of flexibility and allows us…

Carbon Fiber Surface Finishes Play a Role in Your Part Quality

By Ryan Olliges | September 28, 2022 |

There are so many options for manufacturing the surface finish on a carbon fiber panel. The surface finish you choose can make a difference in panel cost, and panel performance. The purpose of this is to explain the different surface finishes available from Elevated Materials, and when to use them. Matte Finish This is a…

What are Forged Carbon Fiber Blocks?

By Ryan Olliges | September 26, 2022 |

For use as brackets or components, carbon fiber has several properties that give it an advantage over other materials. Carbon is lightweight corrosion resistant and stiff. Blocks can easily be tapped and milled to any geometry required. Different carbon fiber blocks can have different appearances. Each style has properties that give a unique benefit. Forged…

Carbon Fiber T Slot connector

Introducing Carbon Fiber Connectors for T Slot Aluminum Extrusions

By Peter Latteier | February 15, 2019 |

Elevated Materials is launching a made-to-order program for carbon fiber connectors for T slot and 80/20 aluminum framing extrusions. T slot (or T track or 80/20) aluminum framing is very popular for it’s versatility. Many people consider it to be the modern equivalent of an erector set for adults, you can get all different sizes and lengths…

Carbon fiber sheet Plain weave Checker weave Twill weave

Carbon Fiber Weaves: What they are and why to use them

By Ryan Olliges | January 17, 2019 |

If you have ever wondered why one piece of carbon fiber might look different from another piece of carbon fiber, you’re not alone. Carbon fiber comes in many different weaves and each one serves a different purpose, and it isn’t just cosmetic. Carbon fibers are made from precursors such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and rayon. The…

Waterjet cutting carbon fiber

Cutting Carbon Fiber with a Waterjet, Advantages and Disadvantages

By Ryan Olliges | October 24, 2018 |

What is a Waterjet? A waterjet uses a pump to create a high pressure (up to 90,000 psi) jet of water that can cut through anything from foam to 8+” steel plate. When cutting through metal or carbon fiber, an abrasive material, such as garnet, is used to aid in the cutting process. (See the…

Advantages and Cost Factors Of Composite Materials

By Peter Latteier | April 11, 2018 |

Written by Cliff Lester, under the supervision of Dr. Steven R. Nutt, this white paper provides an overview of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP, or carbon fiber) and looks at the advantages when compared to other materials, such as wood or metal, as well as cost factors associated with manufacturing carbon fiber parts. Cliff Lester…

What Is Carbon Fiber? Composites 101: Fibers and Resins

By Peter Latteier | February 2, 2018 |

What is carbon fiber? It is praised for it strength to weight ratio, and it is used in products such as rockets, race cars, bicycles and sunglasses. But what is carbon fiber reinforced plastic? CompositesWorld.com has a great article on this exact topic (posted on 3/14/2016). The following is an excerpt, click the link at the…

Best Methods for Countersinking Holes in Carbon Fiber

By Peter Latteier | January 25, 2018 |

Carbon fiber looks great, but it is tricky to work with. We have posted articles previously on how to drill holes and cut carbon fiber with readily available tools (here and here), and now in this post we will cover countersinking, because you don’t want ugly hardware heads ruining the look of your cool new…

The Good, Better and Best Ways to Drill Carbon Fiber

By Peter Latteier | January 19, 2018 |

If you don’t have the right tools and knowledge, drilling carbon fiber is a difficult task that will results in bad parts and ruined tools. In this post we will go over the good, better and best ways to drill carbon fiber and not ruin your parts or tools. Safety First – Use Protection Carbon…