We have a 150 watt laser engraver / cutter. Has anyone tried to cut carbon fiber?
Thanks for the help!
Raw carbon fiber cuts very cleanly. It also emits intensely bright light. I wore sunglasses under my laser safety glasses when cutting and still experienced persistence dots if I did more than glance at the cutting activity.
I placed ordinary food cardboard under the work piece, which allowed me to lift the woven fiber cut pieces without dislodging the material too badly.
On the third hand, cutting composite materials containing carbon fiber is risky and possibly dangerous. It’s not the carbon, it’s the epoxy matrix that generates gases and possibly particles. I did not try.
60W machine, but I can’t remember the speed and power settings. For obvious reasons, nozzle air flow to a minimum.
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Thank you for the help on this. I believe I am going to get a small piece and try it out. When you cut the piece you had were you experimenting with it or cutting it for someone? Sorry to be so nosey, just curious.
I think I might have run a scrap through the machine as a test, but when no offensive vapors manifested, I proceeded with the project. It was a tracing of an insole, which was later impregnated with resin and trimmed to shape.
Was this for a job for a company? If so, what type of company was it if you do not mind me asking.
just wanted to add something years later, because I found negative information on my search. falcon 2 40watt laser, on 100 power, 1000mm/s three passes. and cuts raw carbon fiber cloth like butter. so clean it’s awesome. I did spray some adhesive to hold my cloth together. so I cut a piece off my roll, spray a little adhesive on it, let it set for 30 seconds, then toss it on my honey comb glue side up. cut out my piece, touched my finger in the middle of the piece and it stuck just enough to lift it out of my sheet. only problem I had was the carbon set off the fire monitoring on my laser, I just sent it again and it cut while beeping at me. works amazing, haven’t inspected the lens for contamination but I ran my air so I suspect it’s clean. I cut a dozen or so small pieces out and I’ll never use scissors again. even cut the same shape in 3mm board to lay over my piece so I could clamp it down tight.
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