advice on cutting carbon fibre

[spiff84]

hi

has anyone had experience cutting carbon fibre sheet? I'm looking to cut 2mm thick carbon fibre for a project, will a small toothed hacksaw do? or would it just splinter the sheets?

I'm not doing anything too detailed, basically just cutting a square from a larger sheet at this stage.

Any tips (and safety advice) welcome.

Thanks []

[Gruntfuggly]

Wear a mask - the dust is worse than asbestos...

I've only tried cutting rods, but when cutting them, you have to continuously rotate them, otherwise they split when you get through to the other side. Not sure if that helps, but it might give you some pointers.

[DJTheo]

Als you could cut in (under) water so you dont have the dust problem and materials don't crack so easily (also lexan)

Cheers

[terry.sc]

Firstly use a mask, secondly do it somewhere you don't mind getting covered in carbon dust.

A normal hacksaw can cut it but the teeth on the blade do not last long at all. Cutting out your square will destroy the hacksaw blade, so make sure you have spares before you start. Clamp the sheet down properly otherwise the vibrations when cutting will cause the sheet to delaminate. It is best to support it with a piece of wood as well as when the saw comes out the other side it will split the carbon sheet.

[spiff84]

thanks for your tips, very useful, i'll be sure to use a mask.

i have also emailed fibre-lyte.co.uk and they were very helpful. Here's what they said for anyone looking to do what i'm doing:

"To cut carbon fibre you need to use a sintered carbide blade(the one used

for cutting ceramic tiles - diy shops sell them - they have a grinding edge

as opposed to teeth). If you put masking tape over the areas to be cut this

will help to stop the carbon splintering. You can use sharp drills ok too."