Product Code: ICA12_407

Latest Results in Laser Cutting of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics
Authors:
Stephan Ziermann, TRUMPF Inc.; Plymouth Township MI USA
Nicolai Speker, TRUMPF Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH; Ditzingen Germany
David Havrilla, TRUMPF Inc.; Plymouth MI USA
Christian Koerber, TRUMPF GmbH+Co. KG; Ditzingen Germany
Presented at ICALEO 2012

Laser cutting of metallic materials is a well known and understood laser process that is prevalent in many industries. However, some industries like aerospace and automotive are looking more and more into utilizing fiber reinforced plastics in their production due to their high potential of lightweight construction and design. Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are especially playing
a growing role in industrial applications. So far CFRP was used mainly for small series parts. Laser cutting of CFRP could be a step toward utilizing these materials for high volume production parts at reasonable costs. In contrast to other processes like water jet or mechanical cutting, the laser provides a non-wearing and contact free tool with consistent production results even on complex geometries. The laser can be used to cut pre-formed matrixes prior to the resin injection, as well as hardened CFRP parts and thus can be applied at different steps in the production chain.
This paper will give some insight into the process of laser cutting CFRPs with lasers of different wavelengths and brilliance, and utilizes cutting quality, delamination and heat affected zone as
primary attributes of evaluation.