Composite Material

[anderslr]

We have a structure that is made of a composite material. E-Glass fiber vinyl Ester Composite. Has anyone ever milled and drilled this material? I assume that some kind of special coating on the tools will be required.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Larry

 

[MechanicalChef]

Depends on what quantity of material you're cutting. For lower volumes and smaller runs, carbide tooling will suit you just fine. I made hundreds of e-glass/polyester-resin test samples using a single carbide end-mill. Afterwards, the same cutter still milled 6061 aluminum beautifully.

For one or two pieces, you 'might' be able to squirt by with a HSS cutter.

In the past, a composite engineer once told me of a particular saw they used in their fiberglass shop: "This diamond blade has outlived 4 motors." So, with increased volume, you might have to worry more about the glass-dust eating your equipment instead of the tooling.