I thought I saw a conversation on this earlier, but couldn't find the thread.
Why don't the high end guns use more composite parts for things such as grip frames and eye covers? From my limited knowledge, composites can be stronger, lighter, and cheaper than aluminum. Is the reason that players just perceive the quality to be less or is there an engineering reason for it?
I think it's more perception than anything. You're also stuck with black as a one of the components of the colorway, which may limit what looks nice aesthetically.
There are also engineering limitations for composites since they usually have to be beefier in certain spots to survive.
However, the firearm industry has been transitioning to composites for a while now. I think you'll see that more in paintball on mid ends, transitioning to the higher end lines (ie Etek5)
Team Akkadian Paintball Squad
B.S. Mechanical Engineering UW-Platteville 2012
Originally Posted by neftaly
Yeah I thought eclipse did a great job with how they blended the materials
like carbon fiber frames?
Because it's probably not as clean or simple or repeatable as machining aluminum. If I could machine something from billet or have to layup and vacuum bag a composite part, I'd choose the former every time, if the result was more or less equal.
For super high end, I suppose it could be done becasue the labor and time and volume limitations aren't as much a factor if the cost can balance it out. But then finding people with the skills and availability to do a consistently good job worthy of the money that would invariably be spent for the parts.... tough sell any way you slice it.
But, it would be awesome to have a core/natural carbon fiber weave grip frame... it would indeed.
Tom Kaye had to prove the strength of the original CF mag frames, lifting an engine block with one and its still doesn't matter. Preception versus actuality, facts are never taken into account.
Its more of people seeing dead spaces for colours than anything else. Sniper/Resurrection detent covers are the prime example.
he lifted a whole miata with a composite frame. That wasn't carbon fiber.
I can stand the same car on a coffee cup without breaking it too, but that doesnt make ceramic a good frame material.
Sometimes you have to do more than one test to assure fitness for use
(shocking I know)
that said there are certainly polymer solutions that with proper engineering are somewhere between more than adequate and better than aluminum for paintball frame use. My guess is that TK used something similar to the GFN Glock uses
"So you've done this before?"
"Oh, hell no. But I think it's gonna work."
Not sure what CZ uses, but they are amazingly comfortable and durable.
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