Has any one cut large pieces from Carbon Fiber Sheets?
looking at 3mm and 5mm thick panels
First, here’s the disclaimer … I don’t know diddly about carbon fiber sheets.
But I wanted to alert you that the Hateful Eight list of DO NOT CUT says to never cut “coated carbon fiber sheets”.
I don’t know what “coated” carbon fiber sheets are, and I don’t know if there is such a thing as “uncoated” carbon fiber sheets, but you should check it out and be sure before cutting.
@Chris_Wischkowsky Chris Wisch is you’re man!
You can’t laser cut carbon fiber, my recommendation would be to laser cut MDF/Plywood templates and then use a flush trim router with an endmill like this.
I’ve seen carbon fiber sheets cut with reverse fine tooth jig saw blades and Drexel cutoff wheels. Im not sure what the best way is, but one advice I can give you so you don’t mess up an expensive carbon sheet is to tape off your cut line first, then mark carefully before cutting.
The things I’ve seen that Chris has made and trimmed look really good.
And bear in mind that solid CF of any real thickness will chew up your cutting media extraordinarily fast if the cutter isn’t specifically designed for CF and run at the correct speed (and feeds). I was cutting a 3mm carbon plate last fall and it tore up a brand new Bosch jigsaw blade in nothing flat. Don’t make that mistake with an expensive router bit that’s not intended for the purpose. I would’ve been ticked if I’d ruined a whiteside cut off router bit by mistake.
This is an issue I had too, I need a lot of small carbon fiber pieces and was previously outsourcing them for waterjet cutting (which really isn’t horribly expensive, but it adds up fast when you keep making things). Also, in the spirit of being a maker, I wanted a faster way to make things the same day myself. Understandably, cutting carbon fiber isn’t practical anywhere in the makerspace. On the router table or in the Shapeoko, not only are there concerns about environmental and breathing issues, but also abrasive carbon dust getting into bearings and machine parts.
I considered a flush cut bit in a router, but most of my parts are small with tight radii, so I wanted something better suited. My solution was a pin router, commonly used for making small inlay pieces. I got some ideas and drew up a small dremel pin router that I could make out of mdf on the laser cutter. It has a carriage that holds the dremel vertical and allows it to travel up and down. Then you put a drill bit in the dremel and drill a 1/8 hole exactly underneath the Chuck. Put in a roll pin to guide your workpiece, and put a 1/8 bit to cut the carbon, adjusted so that it is barely above the roll pin at the bottom end of its travel. I bought a ten pack of military surplus bits designed for carbon fiber cheap online, have cut a lot of parts and I’m still on the first one.
I cut templates of my pieces on the laser cutter from 1/8 or thicker acrylic, then attach them to the carbon sheet with double sided tape. Trace the template on the router, while a friend holds a shop vac in tight to catch the dust. Here’s some examples of parts made recently. If you need to borrow the router, I can lend it to you, or I have the plans for it to make your own.
Great idea! I pin route lots of things (mostly wood). I have a Vandalay drill press specifically intended to hold a Dremel. I use small end mills for pin routing.
It was actually one of your posts about pin routing pieces for miniatures that led me in that direction. Thanks for that.