Carbon fibers or carbon fibres (alternatively CF, graphite fiber or graphite fibre) are fibers about 5 to 10 micrometers (0.00020–0.00039 in) in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. Carbon fibers have several advantages: high stiffness, high tensile strength, high strength to weight ratio, high chemical resistance, high-temperature tolerance, and low thermal expansion. These properties have made carbon fiber very popular in aerospace, civil engineering, military, motorsports, and other competition sports.

To produce a carbon fiber, the carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the fiber’s long axis as the crystal alignment gives the fiber a high strength-to-volume ratio (in other words, it is strong for its size).

Carbon fibers are usually combined with other materials to form a composite. For example, when permeated with a plastic resin and baked, it forms carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (often referred to as carbon fiber), which has a very high strength-to-weight ratio.

Source: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fibers

CarbonBar™ is a Carbon fiber composite material made by a proprietary process that uses a high-performance polymer that is extruded with Carbon fibers. 

The bars are easily cut to final dimensions using a circular or handsaw, bandsaw, coping saw, drill, or dremel tool. The parts can also be cut by water jet or CNC machine for specific sizes.Please use appropriate PPE for cutting and handling purposes.

The use of proper Personal Protective Equipment such as leather gloves and safety glasses is highly recommended. Please refer to the section below for more information.

CF Span can make design services available to customers helping to design their product with CarbonBar™. Please contact Tech@cfspan.com for further details.

CarbonBar™ surface is designed specifically for bonding. Most structural adhesives will work, provided the desired specifications are known and tested against. We recommend testing one or two-part epoxy, polyurethane or cyano-acrylate adhesives for best results.

CarbonBar™ comes in long rectangular pieces with max widths of up to 7.5 inches and a thickness of 0.2 inches. The thickness is preset and can’t be adjusted, however, CF Span can supply any width.  Therefore, there is a lot of flexibility in constructing various parts of a constant rectangular cross section such as panels, walls, or stacked layers. Please contact us for custom lengths and thickness CarbonBar™

CarbonBar™  laminates are pre-cut to the specified sizes. The bars are easily cut to final dimensions using a circular or handsaw, bandsaw, coping saw, drill, or dremel tool. The parts can also be cut by waterjet or CNC machine for specific sizes.

We recommend carbide tipped or industrial diamond coated tools for all cutting operations.  Please see additional safety information below:

Handling: Carbon slivers can be painful, CF Span recommends using appropriate safety gloves and eye protection during ALL handling. Recommended precautions include wearing safety glasses, a dust respirator, and protective clothing when cutting, sanding or drilling, to limit exposure to dust, which is an irritant.

CarbonBar™  DUST SAFETY: Dust produced during cutting operations should not be inhaled.  We suggest using a dust mask during cutting operations.  Further, dust generated during cutting is electrically conductive and as such can cause electrical shorts on power equipment.  To mitigate this risk, we suggest cutting or sanding CarbonBar™ in conjunction with dust extraction.

CarbonBar™ is intended as a structural material, and not for high-temperature applications, such as mufflers or engine parts. While Carbon fiber itself is highly resistant to heat, the operational temperature for our CarbonBar™ is -75 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit.

CarbonBar™ is constructed using aromatic polyurethane which is not UV stable by itself. For applications that require UV stability please contact us

Yes, CarbonBar™ can be painted or power coated.  We recommend epoxy or polyurethane-based paints. Some acrylic paints are likely to work as well, however, we recommend application testing prior to use. 

CarbonBar™ has high stiffness, high strength, and low weight. Please refer to our Industries & Applications page for more information.