Composites Challenge Cutting Tools - Better tools and machining techniques open up possibilities for aerospace composites

摘要

At first it might seem that machining fiber-filled composites with hard cutting tools would be a recipe for disaster. Developers of cutting methods and tools for composites face all kinds of problems. A composite's fiber layers can delaminate from the machined surface; the fibers or other hard reinforcements are abrasive and reduce tool life considerably; and the combination of hard and soft materials that make up a composite complicates the best choice of tool and machining parameters.