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Carbon Fiber


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am very new to cutting this stuff but is very apparent that it is abrasive.

any who, would love to hear input from anyone that has good experience cutting this with success.

I am currently running un coated carbide cutters and experiencing what i think is ok tool life but this is a long term contract so cutter $$ are going to add up.

.04 thick carbon fiber.

t1 is a .125 onsrud straight two flute. mill profile and .205 holes

t2 is a carbide .04 wide slit saw. cuts two 12 inch long edges each part

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If you have the room (depth), try using the "Oscillate" feature in Contour. This will vary the Z-Depth, either with "straight ramps", or like a "sine wave", and will help spread that .04 "wear line" across more of the flute surface. You can easily double or triple your tool life, if you have enough flute length to spread the wear across.

For cutter brands, I like LMT Onsrud for cutting carbon fiber panels.

https://www.onsrud.com/Series/66-500.asp

 

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The oscillate approach is excelent advise I have used that but unfortunately cant apply here.

have you seen really good tool life with the cutters suggested those are 4 times the cost of what i am currently using. hard to relay amount of cutting i am doing its a small part  aprox. 6x12 inches flat pattern (its not flat just est. here) am getting 4 parts per onsrud cutter i am using at $21 each.

sorry cannot share the part.   ITAR thingy.

 

OH and thanks for the tips

 

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The DFC coated should get you 5x-10x the life of an un-coated tool. But that will also heavily depend on Speeds, Feeds, and Holder Geometry. The diamond coating is much more resistant to wear than the un-coated carbide. However, I have seen inconsistent coatings in the past, so be sure to carefully inspect the tools before use, and while it is running (check periodically). It has been 8 years since I was cutting composites every day, so take that with a grain of salt.

It is estimated that for every .0001 of radial tool run-out, you are reducing the tool life by at least 5%. (At least, when cutting Steels.) So I would invest in some good hydraulic tool holders, or at least a "mill chuck", for holding on to these tools.

If you are just using an ER Collet (or a crappy Weldon Holder), then you might not experience the same 5x-10x increase in tool life.

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1 hour ago, RaiderX said:

am very new to cutting this stuff but is very apparent that it is abrasive.

any who, would love to hear input from anyone that has good experience cutting this with success.

I am currently running un coated carbide cutters and experiencing what i think is ok tool life but this is a long term contract so cutter $$ are going to add up.

.04 thick carbon fiber.

t1 is a .125 onsrud straight two flute. mill profile and .205 holes

t2 is a carbide .04 wide slit saw. cuts two 12 inch long edges each part

I cut some carbon fiber table tops last year, where the customer wanted carbon fiber instead of wood veneer I used a diamond cut 1/8th endmill, the kind you see for separating Nomex core, the 1/8 th diamond does nice work, good tool life, then I had to cut the thing in half with a .015" em…. :D

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3 hours ago, Colin Gilchrist said:

The DFC coated should get you 5x-10x the life of an un-coated tool. But that will also heavily depend on Speeds, Feeds, and Holder Geometry. The diamond coating is much more resistant to wear than the un-coated carbide. However, I have seen inconsistent coatings in the past, so be sure to carefully inspect the tools before use, and while it is running (check periodically). It has been 8 years since I was cutting composites every day, so take that with a grain of salt.

It is estimated that for every .0001 of radial tool run-out, you are reducing the tool life by at least 5%. (At least, when cutting Steels.) So I would invest in some good hydraulic tool holders, or at least a "mill chuck", for holding on to these tools.

If you are just using an ER Collet (or a crappy Weldon Holder), then you might not experience the same 5x-10x increase in tool life.

thank you... runout did not come to mind.. duh been machining for 35 years and sometimes the little crap that means a lot goes to the side. thanks again. I think that may make some headway in big ways.

now to talk the company into the investment. lol tripping over $20 bills to save a dollar at this point. key is I learned and know the theory.  you rock.

 

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thanks peter. Diamond keeps coming up but hear the process and carbide base is really important for consistency. so if I can talk them into it will be looking at the big player brands.

I so love this forum. and a job that keeps me learning new things. thanks.

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I worked at a aerospace composite company for several years cutting carbon fiber. Best cutters I found for sheet like you are talking about was diamond grit cutters from Starlite. I didn't use their arbors, I would get those from Onsrud. They last for ever

http://www.starlite.diamonds/c00120/page02.shtml

I would use the Onsrud 66-900 line of carbide burrs to ruff profile and finish with a regular end mill using the oscillating tool paths.

The coarse tooth carbide burr from Starlite also works well if you are not as concerned about finish, its a very inexpressive cutter. 

http://www.starlite.diamonds/c00120/page11.shtml

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