Laser Cut Carbon Fiber Question...

[300EVIL]

Hey Everyone.

I'm currently working for one of my friends running his machine shop making RC helicopter parts. Lately we have been doing a lot of carbon fiber parts which he has to outsource the machining because his HAAS mill sucks at cutting them. We don't know if they use laser or waterjet but the edges look pretty damn clean.

My question is, can you cleanly cut 1/16 inch carbon fiber laminate sheet with a CO2 laser? How much power would be needed to cut cleanly at say,,, 5 or 10 ft. a minute? Would I need a forced air nozzle or would a raw focused beam do the trick?

We are thinking of using a unit like this... http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-LASER-ENGRAV...QQcmdZViewItem

Are my kidding myself or will 40W do the trick?
Thanks!
Adam

[Laserman532]

Hey Everyone.

I'm currently working for one of my friends running his machine shop making RC helicopter parts. Lately we have been doing a lot of carbon fiber parts which he has to outsource the machining because his HAAS mill sucks at cutting them. We don't know if they use laser or waterjet but the edges look pretty damn clean.

My question is, can you cleanly cut 1/16 inch carbon fiber laminate sheet with a CO2 laser? How much power would be needed to cut cleanly at say,,, 5 or 10 ft. a minute? Would I need a forced air nozzle or would a raw focused beam do the trick?

We are thinking of using a unit like this... http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-LASER-ENGRAV...QQcmdZViewItem

Are my kidding myself or will 40W do the trick?
Thanks!
Adam

that machine????no way in hell. those are wimpy very wimpy - The majority of fiberglass and carbon fiber are cut on a water jet. The laser tends to char and burn both. Fiberglas and carbon fiber are BRUTAL on milling tools. I would suggest a water jet if the budget will cover it.

[300EVIL]

that machine????no way in hell. those are wimpy very wimpy - The majority of fiberglass and carbon fiber are cut on a water jet. The laser tends to char and burn both. Fiberglas and carbon fiber are BRUTAL on milling tools. I would suggest a water jet if the budget will cover it.

Yeah,, I was hoping that wasn't the case. Water jet is just too expensive and charring and burning is not an option. The parts have to be aesthetically pleasing as well. Oh well, thanks for the info.

[trwalters001]

Hi Adam,
I've used water-jet cutting shops before, for glass. I didn't think it was overly expensive... I had 64 glass discs (1" thick) cut, of varying diameters (10" to 22") for right at $1,000. I know that if you want (for example) 3 pieces cut, then it's going to be REAL pricey. But, if you're cutting hundreds or thousands of pieces, then your per-unit cost should be fairly reasonable. You will probably save some $$$ by providing them an AutoCad file to work from. Otherwise, they'll have to do it themselves at a (usually) quite large per-hour rate.

Just some data points...

Tim

[Laserman532]

Hi Adam,
I've used water-jet cutting shops before, for glass. I didn't think it was overly expensive... I had 64 glass discs (1" thick) of varying diameters (10" to 22") for right at $1,000. I know that if you want (for example) 3 pieces cut, then it's going to be REAL pricey. But, if you're cutting hundreds or thousands of pieces, then your per-unit cost should be fairly reasonable. You will probably save some $$$ by providing them an AutoCad file to work from. Otherwise, they'll have to do it themselves at a (usually) quite large per-hour rate.

Just some data points...

Tim

Definately provide them the file (in their format requested), completely nested for the material size, cut as many as you think you will eventually need and you might hit their minimum shop rate

[Laser Ben]

I have cut a lot of carbon fiber using a 1/16" carbide endmill running 12k RPM with very fast feed rates. You want to cut, but not keep the cutter in the same place after it cuts, you will get problems with the carbon fiber fraying.

[Laserman532]

I have cut a lot of carbon fiber using a 1/16" carbide endmill running 12k RPM with very fast feed rates. You want to cut, but not keep the cutter in the same place after it cuts, you will get problems with the carbon fiber fraying.

how long did your tools last, my understanding fiberglas and carbon fiber are very hard on tools.

[GooeyGus]

my work uses both waterjet and big cnc mills to cut biiiiiig thick chunks of carbon fiber (the frame for the new boeing 787). Waterjet is the method of choice... they go through a LOT (and I mean a lot... stupid amounts of money here... probably tens of thousands a week when we were at full production) of bits on the cnc machines.

[Laser Ben]

how long did your tools last, my understanding fiberglas and carbon fiber are very hard on tools.

I can get a good bit of work out of one before replacing it. You are right though, it does wear out the tool really quick.

A friend of mine likes to use the HSS mills you can get reground because they are cheaper and you can get it sharper. The sharpness seems to have more of an effect then the hardness of the cutter. Also, don't waste your money on the coatings such as TiN.

I would recommend a cutter such as McMaster #88815A14. Three flutes reduces the chatter and harmonics you get with two or four flute cutters.

[300EVIL]

I have cut a lot of carbon fiber using a 1/16" carbide endmill running 12k RPM with very fast feed rates. You want to cut, but not keep the cutter in the same place after it cuts, you will get problems with the carbon fiber fraying.

Thanks for the info. We have 1/16" carbide endmills but I'm unsure of the max spindle RPM of the HAAS mill. I don't think it'll do 12K but I'll check it out tomorrow.
Thanks Again!
Adam