Cutting Characteristics of CFRP Boards Using Electroplated Diamond Wire Tools

CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), which is composed of carbon fibers in a resin matrix, is an extremely strong and light composite material that has found use in the aerospace and automotive industries. CFRP boards are very difficult to machine using common machining processes. Various machining artifacts, such as burrs and delamination, occur frequently when machining CFRP. Adequate techniques for machining CFRP have not yet been established. Recently, electroplated diamond wire machining technology has found use in cutting hard, brittle materials such as silicon and sapphire. In this study, we used an electroplated diamond wire saw to cut a CFRP workpiece. We quantified the cutting forces imposed on the workpiece and observed the surface state of the workpiece after cutting. We demonstrated that an electroplated diamond wire tool is suitable for the high-quality machining of CFRP boards.