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How to make honeycomb panels 

Honeycomb panels has a very good ratio between stiffness and weight. As with must other structural elements there are different possible uses and different requirements according to the use. While there are ready-made panels available commercially the option of doing it yourself (DIY) are always present.  The main advantage by DIY is the unsurpassed flexibility with regard to weight and strength possible by selection of different skin-materials. Below are pictures with text that describes the process of DIY panels.  

Examples of weight when using different laminating materials on 3mm honeycomb material are shown in table below, together with weights of other building materials:

 Material Weight [g/dm2]
Honeycomb with 50g/m2 glass on both sides 3
Honeycomb with 200g/m2 carbon on both sides 8.5
Honeycomb with 200g/m2 carbon and 100g/m2 glass 7
Light-weight 3mm balsa 3
3mm aero-plywood 21

 

The honeycomb core-material are available in different thickness, and are surprisingly flexible.

 
The core material cut to shape, a cutting wheel is the best suitable tool.

In this case the fiberglass is cut to shape.  According to required weight and/or stiffness the fiber can be any weight of fiber-glass or carbon-fiber.

 

Plastic sheets (>= 0.5mm thick) are used to define surface.  Apply wax, polish it and apply the fibers and epoxy to two sheets.

 

Tools used to apply epoxy and fibers to the plastic plates.  A foam roller is used to apply epoxy, and the rilled roller is used to help remove air bubbles from the matrix (most important when using carbon-fiber cloth)

 

The stack of 2 outer layers of fiberglass on plastic plates and the central honeycomb material is put together.

 

Some weight are used to keep the stack together while the epoxy hardens.

 

After sufficient time for hardening of the epoxy the plastic plates are easily removed.

 

Shown here is a very rigid panel made with carbon fibers