What setup to cut carbon fibre sheet (uk )

Hey all new here, posted a few details about me in the clubhouse :D
I hope this is the correct thread ! If not mods please feel free to kick my ass. :D
My brother has a basic cnc machine ( see links below ) that he uses to etch and cut circuit boards. Whether this would be good enough for my app - im not sure yet.


I still need to do a lot of research so i apologise if some questions may be a little " newb-ish "
I plan on working with carbon fibre sheet. Thickness ranging 1mm - 5mm MAX.

I intend for the finished items to be used in a few different applications, perhaps small automotive items , RC and even basic bicycle components.

I understand that cutting CF makes nasty hazardous dust that will need some sort of extraction system to the outside. This should not be a problem.
Did i also read some people are cutting the sheet " wet " to avoid dust and create a cleaner cut?

I dont have a massive budget probably around £1000 -£1500 , this should see me getting a good "hobby standard " machine and other equipment.

Here are just a couple of machines i spotted , any recommendations to these? Or are they no good for my intentions ? The first is the same as my brother uses.

marchandice

and one in the usa that i spotted :
cnc

Any opinions or no good? Need bigger budget?
I appreciate your time reading through my newb post !
-mark

see this thread

Dont forget that carbon fibre dust is incredibly evil to lungs so be very sure about ventilation, face masks and get a good vacuum cleaner like a Henry or similar and a suction tube close to the cutter...


Why not come and visit the UK CNC Community

Thanks irving , i will get myself on the uk cnc community site asap !
Also nice one for posting up that link, some great info there especially from mark linder and the others.

Still can you or anyone else give me a few recommendations if the equipment that i linked to would be at all suitable?

Many thanks
-mark

I cant comment on suitablility of machine as I have never worked with CF. I know you will need carbide or diamond cutters to get the best results and since these generally will be small (<3mm dia) a good range of spindle and feed speeds will be necessary, too slow a feed and it'll burn the cutter out from rubbing rather than cutting.

I assume you are just cutting sheet rather than 'milling' as such so a grinding type cutter rather than a fluted one would probably be better. Also some quick googling suggests the cutting forces on CF depend on the direction of the cut relative to the fibre and are similar to those in milling the harder aluminium alloys.

Hope that helps....

Id like to update some info :
Irving, registered on that site mate, ta !

Ive increased budget to £1500 - £2000 if that will help, anyone ?

Hey xchipx,

I'm just tarting out and looking at cutting carbon fibre sheets, at no more than 5mm thick.. Can I ask, what machine did you end up getting?

This is a machine I've been looking at- 6040T 3 AXIS USB CNC ROUTER ENGRAVER ENGRAVING CUTTER BALL SCREW 800W CARVING | eBay

what do you think?

Also, have you ever tried cutting raw carbon fibre cloth with a laser cutter??

Thx, Rob