JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #105 - June 2016 - 46

laser cutting

Laser machining of CFRP

The use of lasers for CFRP machining offers the
advantages of a non-contact process and ease of
automation, while eliminating tool wear, lowering operating costs and reducing or eliminating
fibre damage and material delamination. But the
current challenge is to find a laser source and process that can deliver a good balance of speed and
quality. The Quasar UV pulsed hybrid fibre lasers
developed by Spectra-Physics are a promising
tool for high-quality, high-speed CFRP processing.

to replace many metal parts. An optimally designed CFRP
part can be up to 70% lighter than steel and 30% lighter
than aluminium [2]. These advantages are what also makes
CFRP attractive for use in many non-transportation related
industries such as components for wind energy production,
sports equipment, oil exploration equipment, and even some
consumer electronics products.
The attributes that make CFRPs very unique and useful materials also make them difficult to machine with high quality.
Manufacturers using CFRP in their products are also looking
to decrease fabrication costs. As material costs continue to
decline, the demand for CFRP materials overall will further
increase.

Types of machining

By
rajesh s. PateL, Ph.D.
Director, strategic marketing & aPPLications -
inDUstriaL Lasers
sPectra-Physics

Conventional mechanical machining techniques used with
CFRP are costly due to high tool wear and operating costs.
Fibre fracture and material delamination are common during
machining, resulting in yield loss.
The more commonly used abrasive waterjet technique provides high-quality machining without any thermal damage.
However, it is a very noisy process with potential fibre damage
due to the high-pressure jet, and water and abrasive particles
can get trapped in the material and lead to yield loss.

arbon fibre-reinforced polymers or plastics (CFRP) are
widely used across various industries such as aerospace,
automotive, wind energy, oil & gas and sports equipment. A strong desire to increase fuel efficiency and reduce
carbon emissions in the aerospace and automotive industries
is driving the use of CFRP materials in the fabrication of
various aircraft and automotive parts. For automobiles, a 10%
reduction in weight typically leads to a 6-8% reduction in fuel
consumption. The corporate average fuel economy (CAFE)
standards in the US will require auto manufacturers to achieve
a fleet average of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016 and
then hit 54.5 mpg by 2025. In the European Union, CO2 emission limits for passenger cars will be reduced from 130 gm of
CO2/km in 2015 to a much more challenging 95 gm of CO2/
km by 2020 [1].
CFRPs are lightweight, strong, durable materials with good
corrosion and vibration resistance. They are good candidates

46 jec composites magazine / No105 June 2016

Fig. 1: (a) Effect of pulse duration on HAZ (Heat-Affected Zone); (b) effect of
power, repetition rate, and pulse duration (including burst of pulses) on cutting
speed; and (c) SEM image of a CFRP sample showing excellent laser cut quality

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #105 - June 2016