Development of laser cutting for dry carbon fibre preforms

MTC and NCC worked together to develop laser cutting for high-rate thick dry fibre preforms.

Challenge

The current state-of-the-art for automated cutting of carbon fibre fabric is an ultrasonic knife, favoured for its very high cutting rates on single plies. Cutting thick sections of laminated fabric directly reduces the number of manufacturing processes required, improving process efficiency. However, the effective cutting speed is drastically reduced on laminated fabric (e.g., 0.3 m/min at 5 mm thickness) and presents cut quality issues with certain fibre orientations. There is also increased risk of damage to the ultrasonic knife when cutting thicker material or cutting across fibres.

In many structural applications, such as aerospace and automotive, thick sections of carbon fibre are required to safely sustain the applied loads. High-rate dry fibre preform trimming is recognised as an industry gap.

Solution

NCC and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) worked together as part of a High Value Manufacturing Catapult funded project to establish the suitability of laser cutting for thick dry carbon fibre preform, with a focus on reducing cycle times and improving process efficiency.

Feasibility studies were conducted to cut 5mm thick dry carbon fibre preform using MTC’s bespoke single mode laser (SML) cutting system, capable of high-power density and small focal spots, enabling highly precise and efficient cutting.

Outcome

Using the single mode laser system, the maximum cutting speed achieved for 5mm thick material was 6m/min (20 times greater than conventional methods), with potential for the laser to be cut significantly thicker preform. The laser was equally effective at cutting irrespective of fibre orientation, reducing waste and the need for subsequent reworking processes.

Impact

This project demonstrated the potential for laser cutting to significantly enhance the efficiency and quality of cutting thick carbon fibre preform, addressing the limitations of ultrasonic knives and reducing the risk of damage while maintaining high cutting speeds. Use of laser cutting did not impact the infusion of the material when compared to infusing ultrasonic knife cut preforms. This advancement has key potential for structural applications in aerospace and automotive industries, where robust and precise cutting of thick carbon fibre sections is essential. Further development work is underway to cut thicker sections and address challenges around the scale up of laser cutting to be suitable for fabricating large aerospace components.

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