Views: 281 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-09-11 Origin: Site
Fiber reinforced composites are characterized by the features of the reinforcing fibers and the matrix material. It should be noted that the fiber material also has a direct impact on the strength of the composites, their density, and the temperatures they can withstand. By reinforcing fibers, it can be classified into carbon fiber, glass fiber, and aramid fiber. By form, it can be dry fiber fabrics and prepregs.
Different composite materials also have different strengths, densities, costs, and temperature resistance, providing different industries with different applications.
1. Aerospace: Aircraft, fuselage skins, satellite mounts, spacecraft parachutes, aircraft fuel tank blast liners, rocket engines, etc.
2. Automotive Manufacturing: Battery packs, chassis frames, door inner panels, dashboards, bumpers, etc.
3. Renewable Energy Sector: Wind turbine blades is the largest application for fiberglass.
4. Sports Equipment: Badminton rackets, tennis racket frames, snowboards, bicycle frames, etc.
Cutting composites material is a complex process that involves precision, efficiency, and quality of the cut. The best cutting solution is the SLCNC prepregs cutting machine. It can cut the carbon fiber, fiberglass aiamid fiber cloth and the prepreg of these fiber material. Below is a description of how to operate the machine.
The CNC composite cutting machine operates based on CAD drawings. Sketches to be cut need to be crafted using specific design programs before cutting. For this purpose, the following programs are available: AutoCAD, Illustrator, CorelDRAW, Pro/E, Solidworks, Inkscape, etc. Arrange Video and Text Side-by-Side. Use the intelligent layout function of the equipment software to enhance the arrangement of multiple cutting patterns. Logical arrangement of the cutting patterns improves the spindle-to-material utilization ratio. For instance, the intelligent nesting method improves the material yield from 10% to 20% when cutting irregularly shaped discs, compared to manual nesting. Also, establish cutting orders based on inner to outer and complex to simple cut principles to minimize tool idle movement and prevent deformation.
Confirm that the prepreg, carbon fiber, and glass fiber materials are ready and the specifications are within the processing limits. Working materials from different batches might show minor deviations in characteristics like thickness and hardness, and this would alter cutting parameters. Confirm that rolled material is free from wrinkles and distortion; otherwise, specialized equipment must be used.
First, perform a thorough visual inspection of the prepreg cutting machine. Go through every single component to see if there’s any loosening or damage—pay extra attention to critical parts like the gantry frame and blade holder, and make sure their connections are solid. Let me give you an example: if the gantry frame is loose, the blade might shift out of place while cutting, and that’ll certainly compromise the precision.
Next, check the equipment’s lubrication system. Make sure all moving parts—things like guide rails and lead screws—have enough lubrication. This isn’t just about reducing wear on parts or making the equipment last longer; it also keeps the cutting process running smoothly, no hiccups.
Then start up the equipment and run an idle test. Watch how the blade head moves—does it glide smoothly? Keep an eye out for any stuttering or weird vibrations. At the same time, check if the dust extraction system works right. Cutting composite materials creates dust, and a good extraction system keeps the work area clean. Plus, it cuts down on the damage dust can do to the equipment, so don’t skip this step.
Pick the right tools based on what the material is like and how thick it is. For prepregs, you’ll usually use sharp tungsten steel oscillating blades. These blades are super hard and wear-resistant, so they can cut precisely, even with high-frequency vibration—no overheating the resin matrix, either. If you’re working with dry fiber fabrics, tungsten steel circular blades are the way to go.
When installing the tools, follow the equipment manual strictly—don’t wing it. First, wipe down the mounting surfaces of the cutter holder and shank to make sure there’s no dirt or debris left. Then slide the cutter into the holder exactly right, and tighten the locking nut to secure it firmly. The last thing you want is the cutter coming loose during high-frequency vibration. Once it’s installed, spin the cutter head by hand to check: does it turn smoothly? Is there any eccentricity? Only when that checks out is the installation done.
Vibration frequency is a key parameter that affects how well the cutting goes—different composite materials need totally different frequencies. Usually, if you’re cutting thinner prepregs, like ones that are 0.1 to 0.5mm thick, go with a lower vibration frequency. This way, you keep the cutting precise and the edges looking good, and you don’t have high-frequency slamming into the material too hard.
But if you’re working with thicker carbon fiber sheets (ones over 5mm) or glass fiber reinforced plastics, you can bump up the vibration frequency a bit—this makes sure there’s enough cutting force to get through. Just don’t crank it up too high. Super high frequencies will wear out the tool faster. So always tweak it based on how the cutting’s actually going while you work.
 | 2. Cutting Speed SettingsCutting speed has to match how hard the material is and how thick it is. For soft prepregs and dry fiber fabrics, you can go with a pretty high speed—usually between 500 and 1000 mm/s works. But if the fiber mats are harder and thicker, slows the speed down. If you don’t, the tool will wear out fast, and you might end up with problems like chips or burrs on the material. Take cutting 30mm thick fiberglass mats, for example—set the speed to 200-300mm/s. In real work, the best way to find the right speed is to do a few test cuts first. That way, you don’t mess up the actual material. |
You need to set the cutting depth specific to the thickness of the material you are cutting. The desired result is to cut through the material, not to the point of scratching or damaging the work surface underneath. Here is how to do it: first, lower the blade by the manual adjustment function until the blade just contacts the surface of the material. Then add a small safety margin - usually between 0.1 and 0.3mm - to the thickness of your material, your final cutting depth is then recorded.
For example, if cutting a 2mm thick fiberglass board, then you would set the depth to 2.2mm. Also, if you are cutting multiple layers of material that are stacked directly on top of each other, make sure that the total thickness of all the materials is still within the effective cutting depth range of your tool. If not, you will not cut through properly and have problems.
Import the graphic or model design files (common formats include DXF, PLT, etc.) required for cutting into the carbon fiber cutting machine's control system using the device's accompanying software.
Place the prepared composite material onto the fiberglass cutting machine's workbench and securely fasten it using the vacuum suction device. Vacuum suction effectively prevents material displacement during cutting, ensuring precision. When securing the material, ensure its placement precisely aligns with the cutting pattern layout in the device software. Utilize the device's red light positioning system or laser alignment device for quick and accurate material positioning.
After confirming secure material fixation and correct cutting parameter settings, start the machine's cutting program. The control system will then drive the blade to cut along the predefined path based on the imported design file and configured parameters. During cutting, operators must closely monitor the machine's operational status, including blade movement stability and normal cutting sounds. Simultaneously, observe the material's cutting condition, such as whether the cut surface is smooth and free of burrs or delamination.
While the cutting’s going on, you gotta keep an eye on the equipment’s operational data the whole time—stuff like vibration frequency and cutting speed. Make sure they stay steady within the range you set. If there’s any weird fluctuation, that might mean the equipment’s having a problem, or you need to adjust the cutting parameters. When that happens, pause the cutting right away and check what’s going on.
If you’re doing long stretches of continuous cutting, check the tool’s wear every so often. Figure out if you need to replace the tool by looking at how good the cut is, the condition of the blade edge, and how much resistance there is when cutting. Generally, if the cuts start getting obvious burrs, the blade edge has nicks, or the tool’s worn down bad—replace it right away. That way you keep the cutting quality consistent, no drops in performance.
And if the material shifts a little while cutting, don’t just ignore it. Check a few things: is the material clamped tight enough? Is the blade still sharp? Is the cutter vibrating normally? And is the cutting speed right? Those are the usual reasons for displacement, so go through them one by one.
After the cut is completed, remove the workpiece from the table carefully. Next, remove any remaining debris and/or dust from the enclosed surface.
After we are done with the concourse, be sure to conduct a thorough quality inspection on the workpiece. Use a set of calipers or micrometers to verify its dimensions against the design specs. While verifying the dimensions, it is also important to inspect the cut edge closely. Are there any burrs, delamination, or scorch marks? If there are any defects, you can adjust the machine's operating parameters before commencing the next run.
Use a vacuum cleaner or a brush to clean the debris and dust off the equipment’s workbench. Pay extra attention to key spots like the cutter holder and guide rails—if debris builds up there, it’ll mess with the machine’s precision later.
Check how worn the cutter is, too. If it’s already used up its service life or has big damage, replace it right away. And don’t forget to top up the lubrication in the equipment’s lubrication system—this way, all the moving parts work smoothly when you use the machine next time.
Also, take a look at the electrical system. Check if any wires are loose or damaged. And make sure to update the control system software regularly—this gets you better performance and more functional support.
Sort and gather up all the waste from the cutting process. For recyclable scraps like carbon fiber and glass fiber, handle them according to the rules—this way, we can reuse those resources instead of just throwing them away.
By following all these detailed steps and procedures, the vibrating blade cutter can really show its strengths when processing prepregs, carbon fiber, glass fiber, and other composite materials. It lets you do efficient, precise, high-quality machining—perfect for meeting all kinds of industry needs for composite components. In real work, operators should keep building up experience and adjust parameters and methods flexibly at every stage based on the material’s properties and specific processing requirements. That’s how you get the best results.
