Forge+Bond manufactures recyclable nylon-infused pre-preg carbon fiber rims in Gunnison, Utah, across two buildings that also produce UTV and aerospace parts. The nylon-infused material arrives on spools and remains stable at room temperature, avoiding freezer storage required by epoxy pre-pregs. The material feeds a Dieffenbacher Fiber Forge cutter that slices ribbons at variable angles. Cut pieces move on a vacuum-suctioned belt into an automated layup machine where a round table holds the first layer while subsequent layers are ultrasonically welded at different orientations. The resulting laminates are molded into road, gravel, and mountain bike rims domestically.
Unlike typical epoxy-impregnated carbon fiber, which comes on large, wide rolls that must be kept in a freezer to prevent the resin from hardening, Forge+Bond's nylon-infused pre-preg comes on spools and can be kept indefinitely at room temperature. They're loaded onto a Dieffenbacher Fiber Forge... ...and the ribbon of carbon fiber runs through this cutter. A rotating head can cut it at any angle from +45º to -45º.
Then it runs through this tunnel on a vacuum-suctioned belt to hold pieces in place as it shoots them into... ...the layup machine. This giant round metal table pulls a vacuum to hold the first layer into place. Subsequent layers are laid over it and ultrasonically welded to the layer underneath. It keeps getting layered at various angles until it produces this:
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