Analysis of a machining process for glass fiber composites

Abstract: The aim for this study is to observe and conduct experiments on a composite productions machining process in order to gather knowledge and data on the process. The information will be used to make recommendations for improving the process in terms of production capacity and product quality.The initial part of the study was to conduct a literature review on composite machining and a market research on tool availability in order to set a foundation for the experimental work performed.Experiments and measurements were done on various tool material, geometry and cutting data to test the viability and potentials of different cutting tools. Along with that, observations were made on the machining process as a whole to better understand it and how it could be improved.From experiments and observations, it was apparent that the low machining stability causes accelerated tool wear and tool fracture, and limits quality and dimensional tolerances of machined parts. Multi-flute, polycrystalline diamond tools seemed to be the most viable for the application. They produced acceptable results and the cutting data could be increased for higher production rate. Other improvements are possible in terms of machining strategy, chip removal and fixture design.Those improvements could decrease cycle time and increase the overall production capacity of the process.