If you hit it at the right stage, it’s like a knife through hot butter. The coolest way to cut carbon fiber, if you’ve done a wet layup, is to wait until the epoxy gels (the “green” stage), and then you can green trim the excess material with a razor or scissors. Waterjet is another option if you get to that scale. Thin sheets can be cut with a paper shear. I try and shoot the black dust roost away from me and into the vacuum hose opening. I often set up a ghetto dust collection station by placing a large cardboard box on my workbench, with the side facing me open, and a live dust collection hose opening protruding through the far wall of the box. Then there’s the black roost of nasty carbon micro-fibers that sprays either towards, or away from you, depending on which direction your cutting from, making it tricky to contain/collect. Control can be tricky, as the cutting direction is perpendicular to the tool length, and the depth the wheel plunges into the material versus motor torque and cutting rate is controlled by the positioning and articulation of your hand and wrist, as you try to cut along a line. The dremel handles everything else, and I typically use a fiber or diamond cutoff wheel to make fast or deep linear cuts. It’s also somewhat easier to control than a rotary tool since there’s no rotational grab forces like with a spinning disc or shaft, though it has it’s own idiosyncrasies. What’s fabulous is, because the tool oscillates, it doesn’t spray carbon fiber dust everywhere, so it’s easy to suck the dust up with a vacuum as you work. I use a diamond coated blade in my oscillating tool to cut and trim carbon fiber parts, and it’s my go-to tool for fast spot removal of material, and it often works great for linear trimming/cutting.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |