when i do carbon stuff, they come out to about .007 per layer and i have parts doing 150 mph with only 3 layers so why not form a door bar and mold it in? i had one pair of small parts that doubled in weight just by painting them. I use west system epoxy and bag my parts to keep them light. Making a mold that is accurate is the hard part and takes the most time, I use matt cloth and vynal ester resin to save money on the mold. If you want to save money on the parts use a layer of s-glass sandwiched between the carbon layers. Tim
My overall view on the matter:
1. CF is trick looking and been the bling for awhile.
2. Is a great material, stiffer and more costly, and that's decreasing
3. The biggest hurdle is if one wants the CF finished "look", is getting your CF to lay straight, that is the toughest part
4. Un painted/unprotected resin/epoxy has UV downsides, I paint most of mine, you don't need to know its CF, unless you want to buy it
5. Anyone that has FG/resin skills can do CF, there is little magic here
6. I prefer epoxies, they are significant stronger then most resins, but slower cure, which has its upsides, but for production can be a downside.
7. Vacuum bagging is not not a must, its nice, better, lighter, but not a requirement, unless oz's or marketing are important.
8. I usually add at least one internal layer of kevlar on my larger panels
