Machining of composites

Purpose and goal

The main purpose of the project was to investigate cutting parameters for drilling and milling in composites, in order primarily to short processing times while increasing knowledge of machining in composite. Since post-processing in composites is normally carried out with machining, knowledge is important when manufacturing of composites in high-volume growing in SME manufacturers. Robot processing also becomes more common both in composite and metal.

Expected results and effects

These tests show that there are good opportunities to reduce manufacturing times with right tools. For holes, the machining time has decreased by 55%, while the lifetime of the milling cutter has been maintained. For machining of side edges with a new type of rotary cutter with coarser diamond and another adhesive, as well as diamond on the side of the blade, productivity increased 56% and at the same time the life increased by 20%. Generally, there are more tools for composites from manufacturers of cutting tools.

Planned approach and implementation

In this project, it was chosen from start-up phase to investigate machining of Podcomp´s bathroom composites. Composite materials are fiberglass and Pollyester thermoset. The machining consists of milling of holes and cutting trim edges with a rotary cutter blade. All machining is done by robot. The primary goal was to reduce machining times while maintaining quality. One common problem noted in robot machining is the possibility of performing linear movements. This is probably one reason why a certain heat can occur for machining with rotary cutter and that the holes become oval.