Hello everyone,

To answer your questions in order (from my experience and knowledge)

1. Engraving I would think having it CNC machined out would be best as it is relatively cheap for its level of precision (it should only require a 3 axis machine, or even a 2 axis with a manual adjustable z-depth. If you wanted to try it by hand, you could try routing it with a router and carefully setup jig, or with a steady hand, but for the amount of time you will spend doing that I would say just CNC it.

2. Cutting I would suggest in the following order:

Waterjet (best - for panels)
CNC (best - for complex cuts)
Laser jet
Bandsaw (worst)

Don't get me wrong, they will all do the job well enough for a hobbyist to make use of, but apparently laser jets will burn the edges and leave frayed carbon fibers. I have had some of my pieces waterjet cut, and the cut line is absolutely amazing. My layup was:

2 layers of 5.7oz carbon
2mm Soric core material
2 layers of 5.7oz carbon

The waterjet even cut the Soric perfectly (I thought there may be an issue there, but none whatsoever). Waterjet is also recommended due to the fact that it doesn't add heat to the cut, which can warp or affect the piece, especially if it has not gone through a proper post-cure cycle yet. Unless there is concern about getting the piece wet, I would try to use waterjet for cutting.

As far as machining Diolen, I have no experience so I cannot comment there. And to follow up on Scott, using a cheaper material would be useful especially while you work the kinks out of your project. I guess it just depends how "authentic" you want it to be. Some people are more concerned with having the real deal, while others just want the look. But I would recommend creating tests and samples out of other materials before you use up expensive carbon fiber. You could also consider using Basalt fiber; not sure if easycomposites carries that.

-Mike-