Originally Posted by
Shimagnolo
"Carbon fiber" *is* plastic, reinforced with fibers of carbon.
To clarify about the melting issue: there are 2 basic kinds of plastic: thermoplastics and thermosets. Thermoplastics melt and are used in processes like injection molding. Thermosets are plastics in which the molecular bonds form by a chemical reaction, epoxy being one example. The cured resin will burn and char before reaching the melting point.