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Composite Materials 1: Manufacturing and Production

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  1. INTRODUCTION

    Meet the Instructor
  2. The Course
  3. WHAT IS A COMPOSITE?
    Definitions
    1 Quiz
  4. Types of Resins
    1 Quiz
  5. Types of Coatings
    1 Quiz
  6. Types of Fabrics
    1 Quiz
  7. Types of Cores
    1 Quiz
  8. COMPOSITE APPLICATIONS
    Applications
    1 Quiz
  9. MANUFACTURING METHODS
    Contact Moulding Processes
    1 Quiz
  10. Vacuum-Assisted Moulding Processes
    1 Quiz
  11. Liquid Moulding Processes
    1 Quiz
  12. Autoclave Moulding
    1 Quiz
  13. Selecting the Right Manufacturing Process
    1 Quiz
  14. MOULD DESIGN AND REQUIREMENTS DEFINITION
    Selection of the Reference (Good) Surface
    1 Quiz
  15. Demoulding Analysis & Mould Divisions
    1 Quiz
  16. Technical Flange
    1 Quiz
  17. Assemblies
    1 Quiz
  18. Airtightness
    1 Quiz
  19. Operational Features: Pressure
  20. Operational Features: Durability
    1 Quiz
  21. Operational Features: Surface Finish
    1 Quiz
  22. Operational Features: Tolerances
    1 Quiz
  23. Operational Features: Support Structure (soon)
    1 Quiz
  24. Operational Features: References
    1 Quiz
  25. PARTS MANUFACTURING
    Main differences between mould and part manufacturing (soon)
  26. Process selection (soon)
  27. Production design (soon)
  28. Laminate details (soon)
  29. Bonding details (soon)
  30. Quality control and inspection (soon)
  31. Repair and rework philosophy (soon)
  32. Documentation and traceability (soon)
  33. APPLICABLE TESTS
    Visual inspection and defect recognition (soon)
  34. Dimensional control (soon)
  35. Non-destructive testing (soon)
  36. Airtightness (soon)
  37. Process validation (soon)
  38. Laminate qualification and destructive testing (soon)
  39. Curing graphics (soon)
  40. DEFECTS AND REPAIR PHILOSOPHY
    Defect classification (soon)
  41. Structural vs. non-structural defects (soon)
  42. Acceptance criteria philosophy (soon)
  43. Repair design principles (soon)
  44. Typical repair geometries (soon)
  45. Secondary bonding considerations (soon)
  46. When NOT to repair (soon)
  47. Documentation after repair (soon)
  48. CASE STUDY
    Design of a mould with an insert and split down the centre line (soon)
  49. Proposal of different support structures (soon)
  50. FINAL ASSIGNMENT
    Final Assignment (soon)
  51. COURSE MATERIALS
    Course Materials (soon)
  52. COURSE EVALUATION SURVEY
    Course Evaluation Survey (soon)
  53. SUMMARY
    Wrap-up (soon)

Hi, I’m Lucia, and I will be your instructor.

My academic background is in Naval Architecture and Marine Systems Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena.

During my industry placement, I stepped into a completely different world, Synergia Racing Group, a leading company in the manufacture of composite plugs, molds, and prototypes. What began as an internship turned into 7 years of hands-on experience in real projects, real production challenges, and real responsibility.

I began as an intern and grew into a project manager role, which I’ve held for the past 3 years. In my day-to-day work, I’m involved throughout the entire life cycle of the project from budgeting and planning to defining manufacturing procedures, 3D design, machining, and CAM programming.

I also manage materials teams and resources. As a project manager, I work closely with clients from start to finish, making sure that technical decisions, production constraints, and delivery expectations align.

Over the years, I have worked on projects such as the repair of a Spanish minesweeper, considered one of the largest glass-fiber repairs, as well as the production of high-quality, high-precision composite components for a ferry and the deck of a catamaran for one of the leading recreational catamaran builders.

My relationship with composite has never been only theoretical. I have learned them where they really matter in design decisions, manufacturing, inspection, repairs, and in all the small details that determine whether a project works well or becomes a problem later.

Many people enter this field not as composite specialists from the start. They come from naval engineering, production, design, shipyards, or technical offices, and suddenly they realized that composites are everywhere, but the knowledge is often fragmented, too academic, or hard to connect to the real world.

That is exactly why I wanted to create this course. I wanted to build the kind of course I would have loved to have at the beginning: clear, structured, technically strong, and always connected to real applications. One where you understand how composite materials behave, why they behave that way, and what that means when you have to make decisions in a professional environment.

My goal is that by the end of the course, you will not just know more about composites, but you will feel confident talking about them, evaluating options, understanding processes, and making technical decisions more clearly.