Aramid fiber composites for the aerospace sector

Luneburg, Germany - Fiber composites are often used in the automotive and aerospace industry, for example, carbon fiber and aramid fiber reinforced plastics can be found in many components due to their beneficial properties. Aramid-based composites are used mainly for components that are subjected to high stress, for example, those needed for the construction of gliders.

An accurate cutting process required for such materials often proves expensive and is difficult to carry out. Therefore, this is where laser scores with precision and contact-free processing. The benefits of cutting aramid fibers with CO2 lasers are: no tool wear, maximum precision and repeatability accuracy, no material distortion during cutting, and fast processing speed.

Technically speaking, aramids have a negative thermal expansion coefficient in the direction of the fibers, similar to that of carbon fibers. This means they become shorter and thicker when heated. Compared to carbon fiber reinforced plastics, these special textiles have a lower compressive resistance. However, their impact resistance is significantly higher, which is why they are very often used as safety shields for engine cowls.

Exact processing is vital when manufacturing the parts for these highly complex technical components so laser systems are often used as useful processing machines. In combination with a conveyor system and its automatic material feed, the textiles can be processed directly from the roll.

In the example of eurolaser, an aramid fiber composite was used with small embedded metal fibers. Thus, as the photos show, eurolaser systems can cut such difficult materials easily and accurately.