Motorbike Forged Carbon Ignition Housing Cover

Previously experimenting with Forged Carbon by making a brake lever, Peter wanted to use his new found skills on an actual part for his Honda CR125 Motorbike.

The Ignition cover was chosen to be the part to replicate. The first part of the process was to draw the cover in a CAD package. Once the part had been accurately drawn up, it could be used, in the CAD package, to draw the moulds for the compression moulding itself. These moulds were then 3D printed.

The 3D printed moulds were sanded and fettled to improve surface finish. They were then used to compression mould the actual cover using the chopped tow fibres and epoxy resin. Once cured and demoulded, the finishing process could begin.

Initially the plan was to paint the lettering, but it did not look good, so the part was remade. Aluminium letters were then cut to the precise size to fit in the recesses on the forged carbon part. Once bonded into place, the part could be trimmed fully and sanded smooth. The part was then finished with lacquer to give a high gloss and durable finish

The finished part was then refitted to the bike, the new metal letters adding a new dimension and quality to the finished ignition cover.