Carbon is indeed a mysterious element. It can combine to form different substances, served as the ideal material for our ancestors to make fire and stay warm, and even, when misused, came to symbolize affection. Now, however, it has transformed into the high-end material known as carbon fiber, propelling humans skyward. Let's unravel what carbon fiber is, how it becomes the material for bicycles that carry us, and its secrets.

▲ICAN A9 Carbon Frame

Carbon fiber is a composite material primarily made of carbon. However, carbon fiber composite material is not the only material used in bicycle frames and wheels. This is because, given the ultra-high rigidity of carbon fiber, if the material were 100% carbon fiber composite, it would be very brittle and prone to tearing along the fiber direction. To harness its rigidity, carbon fiber is immersed in epoxy resin to form a composite material before molding. Bicycle carbon fiber parts undergo this processing procedure. The resin plays a crucial role in holding the carbon fibers together within the carbon fabric, increasing toughness and durability. Carbon fiber plasticized by resin immersion can absorb impact forces and vibrations upon impact, and although it may deform, it won't rupture, thus achieving the perfect performance required for bicycle materials.

Carbon fiber is a wondrous material. Its rigidity is completely different from metal; the rigidity of carbon fiber products is easily controlled, and its rigid properties can manifest in a single direction. Before creating a frame model, the type of carbon fabric, its strength, fiber direction, and layup direction are all means to control the overall performance of the frame. Thus, its rigidity can be precisely adjusted in a straight line through the carbon fiber composite material or how it's placed in the mold. This adjustment is called anisotropy. Metals, conversely, are isotropic, exhibiting the same strength and rigidity in any axial direction of the material. In addition to surpassing the performance of various metals, it also has the advantage of being lighter than other materials we are familiar with.

▲Carbon Fiber Fabric

Carbon Frame Production Process

Carbon fiber components are processed through integral molding, and there's also bond-and-glue molding. Both molding methods have their respective advantages and disadvantages, but generally, integrally molded carbon frames offer superior product performance, though with greater difficulty. With the overall follow-up of carbon technology, design, and techniques by domestic automotive companies, the carbon fiber bike market is becoming an industry to watch. Below, we'll look at the ICAN carbon fiber production line flow to see how carbon fabric transforms step by step into a high-performance frame.

▲X-Gravel Carbon Fiber

Step 1: First, threads are woven to turn carbon yarn into various specifications of carbon fiber composite material. The weaving process is similar to weaving fabric. After mechanically weaving the carbon yarn into various types of carbon fabric raw materials according to technical standards, the corresponding resin solution is immersed into the carbon fabric and dried to form a solidified carbon cloth. Interestingly, to prevent deformation of the carbon yarn, it may be stored in a cold storage unit.

▲Carbon Yarn

Step 2: The carbon yarn is cut appropriately, and each piece of carbon yarn is meticulously marked. Each carbon fiber frame is made from hundreds of different types of carbon fabric, and large sheets of carbon fabric are first cut into easily manageable sheets. One frame is made by laminating over 500 unique pieces of carbon fabric. Each bicycle model requires a specific type of carbon fabric, and even with the same mold, there can be differences in the amount of carbon fiber fabric used.

Step 3: The cut carbon fiber fabric is layered onto the core material in a specific order, giving the frame its initial shape, awaiting subsequent solidification. Environmental requirements are stringent in ICAN's factory.

Step 4: Now, we move into the molding stage. The rolled product is placed into a molding die and subjected to high-temperature extrusion. Carbon fiber molds are also a focal point of technology and cost. Ensuring that the mold and frame have similar thermal expansion rates plays a crucial role in guaranteeing frame precision, especially at a time when demands for bicycle manufacturing precision are increasing.

Step 5: For parts that cannot be integrally molded, they are bonded with a special adhesive between components and solidified into a complete whole through high-temperature baking. At this time, the bonded frame is clamped in a special carbon fiber jig and sent into a curing oven for solidification treatment. Once the solidification treatment is complete, the frame can be removed from the curing oven and taken out of the jig.

Step 6: Finally, the frame undergoes hand grinding and finishing, along with drilling and other processes. After grinding and finishing, the frame receives its final spray and paint, resulting in a beautiful, high-energy carbon frame.

We also took a video of the manufacturing process; if you're interested, please take a look.