Cutting composite fabrics

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Cutting composite fabrics

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c&e	c c&e posted 5 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
c Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 31	Hi I've started basic layups and struggled a little cutting carbon cloth. At the moment I'm using 200g 2x2 Twill 3k Black Stuff Carbon Fibre (1000mm). Low Cost Carbon Fibre for General Use Easy Composites' Black Stuff™ products are a range of no-frills carbon fibre reinforcements woven to a more basic specification and which do not carry our usual full certification. Black Stuff™ carbon fibre is intended for use in non-visual applications, backing layers, mould making and general commercial use. It is not suitable for critical cosmetic applications, aerospace use or other uses where a CoC or fibre certificates are required. In mechanical properties and general handling Black Stuff is still a great performing all-rounder and is actually comparable to the general purpose carbon fibre sold by many suppliers. This 200g, 2/2 twill Black Stuff™ fabric is woven from genuine 3k carbon fibre (Formosa TC35 3K) with a specification and mechanical performance similar (but not as good as) our standard range of carbon fibre fabrics however it does not undergo visual inspection and is woven at a higher speed and therefore some imperfections can be expected. Black Stuff™ also uses a slightly lower modulus fibre than our standard 3k carbon. These are my first efforts so using cheap carbon to practice with. I have proper shears from easy composite. First attempt was messy, second attempt today I taped area with I was cutting with masking tape. This was a big improvement but found it easy to deform raw fabric. Is best to use one long piece or maybe 4 25cm pieces? I then found the masking tape was too good so cut once on the glass plate. Is cutting with scalpel a better practice? What effect does leaving masking tape have on the infusion? Thanks for taking time to read my post Graeme
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Buchado	B Buchado posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
B Group: Forum Members Posts: 30, Visits: 208	+x c&e - 2/10/2020 6:27:25 PM Hi I've started basic layups and struggled a little cutting carbon cloth. At the moment I'm using 200g 2x2 Twill 3k Black Stuff Carbon Fibre (1000mm). Low Cost Carbon Fibre for General Use Easy Composites' Black Stuff™ products are a range of no-frills carbon fibre reinforcements woven to a more basic specification and which do not carry our usual full certification. Black Stuff™ carbon fibre is intended for use in non-visual applications, backing layers, mould making and general commercial use. It is not suitable for critical cosmetic applications, aerospace use or other uses where a CoC or fibre certificates are required. In mechanical properties and general handling Black Stuff is still a great performing all-rounder and is actually comparable to the general purpose carbon fibre sold by many suppliers. This 200g, 2/2 twill Black Stuff™ fabric is woven from genuine 3k carbon fibre (Formosa TC35 3K) with a specification and mechanical performance similar (but not as good as) our standard range of carbon fibre fabrics however it does not undergo visual inspection and is woven at a higher speed and therefore some imperfections can be expected. Black Stuff™ also uses a slightly lower modulus fibre than our standard 3k carbon. These are my first efforts so using cheap carbon to practice with. I have proper shears from easy composite. First attempt was messy, second attempt today I taped area with I was cutting with masking tape. This was a big improvement but found it easy to deform raw fabric. Is best to use one long piece or maybe 4 25cm pieces? I then found the masking tape was too good so cut once on the glass plate. Is cutting with scalpel a better practice? What effect does leaving masking tape have on the infusion? Thanks for taking time to read my post Graeme Normal scissor do the job of cutting the fiber. I use some scissors, just put some tape along the line you'll cut, and cut through THE MIDDLE OF THE TAPE, not on the edge of the tape, this way there will be some tape on the left cloth and on the cloth you'll use, and both pieces of cloth will have their edges in place. About the infusion, just cut the cloth a little bigger, so that the tape will not be on your part when you trim it.
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MarkMK	MarkMK posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 338, Visits: 2K	Most 200g fabrics can be a little loosely woven and prone to falling apart if not handled very carefully As mentioned, low-cost shears, as used to cut things like wallpaper will work well, but will lose their sharpness fairly quickly A mist of spray tack over the intended cut line can help to hold things together better and it's also sometimes useful to remove a tow of fabric prior to cutting, which will also give you a straight line to follow If you have a table big enough to cut on, with a self-heal cutting mat on top, an Olfa roller cutter is also a quick and easy tool to use, especially where sharp cuts are needed if working with cutting templates. Again, a mist of spray tack will help keep the cut neat and less prone to fraying or falling apart
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c&e	c c&e posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
c Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 31	Thanks guys I've watched a few more tutorials last night and re-aligned the cheap roll this morning by removing the bottom thread and straightening as I went and then taped. I'm on my third sheet today, the second worked a lot better as the vacuum held much better, small loss of pressure but much better tthan the first. Today's task is align my fibers. Saw the Olfa roller cutter last night so I will try that. I have in stock 200g 2x2 Twill Carbon Black Twaron and 210g 2x2 Twill 3k Carbon Kevlar but don't want to try yet for obvious reasons. Will these be easier to work with? Thanks
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MarkMK	MarkMK posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 338, Visits: 2K	Those fibres you'll find more difficult to cut and to finish neatly so, if you're in an experimental stage, you'd likely be better sticking with carbon fabric for now. Unless you have specific requirements for abrasion resistance or a need to hold a part together better in the event of impact, there might not be much call to use them in the general lay-up of you parts. Even if you do, you might find it beneficial to limit their use to specific reinforcement areas away from the usual trim line when finishing
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c&e	c c&e posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
c Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 31	+x MarkMK - 2/12/2020 1:24:22 PM Those fibres you'll find more difficult to cut and to finish neatly so, if you're in an experimental stage, you'd likely be better sticking with carbon fabric for now. Unless you have specific requirements for abrasion resistance or a need to hold a part together better in the event of impact, there might not be much call to use them in the general lay-up of you parts. Even if you do, you might find it beneficial to limit their use to specific reinforcement areas away from the usual trim line when finishing Thanks Mark Yestersays result for successful. I work in the motorsport industry with data and electronics. I'm learning composites for track cars so anything from dashboard, flat bottom and wings etc I will be using fabric based on there design characteristics Thanks for the advice Mark have a good day Edited 5 Years Ago by c&e
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