Do we have equipment and spaces we can cut or machine carbon fiber panels on? Not only in terms of machine capability, but also in terms of not destroying blades immediately, and having proper dust collection to safely handle carbon fiber dust.
I already know that we can’t laser them~
Interesting question and there has been some work with carbon fiber in the past. If you can give me some more information on the panels themselves and types of cuts / machining we can explore some options. A few months ago a member tried cutting carbon fiber on the Saw Stop and quickly found out that carbon fiber trips the brake.
I’ve dealt with carbon fiber as a bike mechanic and flying drones and you 100% do not want the dust flying around
I believe it’s similar to metal dust where it enters the lungs and lever leaves
When we cut parts in the bike shop we would wear masks and spray it down with water while cutting almost like a tile saw
Also yes definitely conductive, you have to isolate electronic parts from it otherwise you can get interference
Yea, this is what I feared and why I was asking before going in blind!
There are some CF cutting and machining services I have been recommended (such as CNCMadness) to go to that can actually do CF parts cheaper than material cost that I want to go with first, though I was wondering what the capabilities here are if I need something done (myself) faster than services can provide.
Physically the cnc can definitely do it but you’d be creating a not great scenario for yourself and anyone else in the shop at the time
If they can do it that cheap I would totally go with having them cut it all, regardless of the toxic factor
Did you end up using their services? How were they?
I’ve used them several times (last time was March 2025) and they are a great experience. They are based in Canada though- they’re located on the border and they used to just be able to drive across it to the US side to send shipments to keep logistics cheap for us, but since the new administration, they’re no longer allowed to do this so its hard for them to keep competitive prices. Quality and speed (if you opt for DHL shipping) is still there though, I still recommend.
The policy of “no composites in the Tormach” has changed since September 2023- someone installed a filter on the coolant system and now we’re good to go for those. Just keep the doors closed, use coolant to capture the dust, and take necessary precautions. The filter installer was motivated to cut his own… either fiberglass or CF drone frames? I’ve been cutting CF panels and garolite (glass fiber composite) on the Tormach too.
Thanks! When I get to the stage where I’m cutting CF, can I DM you for some tips?
Off the top of my head, make sure to pack nitrile gloves and something to cover your mouth/nose so you don’t get any dust in your body. I haven’t found the optimal endmill or settings yet for CF though, I get a functional but somewhat fuzzy cut and I know its possible to get it clean, but I’m getting by on double flute carbide 1/8in endmills. I do the method of putting painters tape on one side of my CF (I also do this for garolite, UHMW, titanium, polycarbonate) and painters tape on a flat donor object (Cheap chopping boards off Amazon are usually what I use) and use cyanoacrylate (“superglue”) to bond em together
I would like to buy or build a water bath that you can mill CF immersed inside of it to trap the dust even better than using coolant.
This is very sick, thank you. How do you separate the carbon from the sacrificial cutting board when you’re done?
