Help Tapping and Machining Carbon Fiber Laminate

[apextriggers]

Hi I'm new to carbon fiber so I'm not sure about many aspects of it. I have a design in solidworks here

http://www.mysharefile.com/v/6358722/freestyle_extrude_scythe_noholes.SLDPRT

I want to get it machined but a company called dragonplate told me I needed a custom $2000 tool to cut it yet they have made stuff that to me doesn't look this hard to make. Anyway I'm thinking of getting this company called cadcut.com to lasercut th ecarbon fiber which looks like a good direction to go but any comments about how/who i should use to machine this part. To get an idea of the final design technatrigger.com has the basic design my trigger has. I would also REALLY like to know if carbon fiber CAN be tapped. I have heard that it can and can't. Obviously it can be done Somehow because techna trigger has tapped it. So I am wondering if it is possible or if it just isn't recommended. Keep in mind the threads take almost NO pressure or force so they don't need to be tough. If you need more information let me know, and thanks in advance

-Paul

 

[MechanicalChef]

If I had to guess how they secured the metal parts to the carbon parts, I'd guess they're bonded in with adhesives. Regarding a $2000 tool, I'd be a tad skeptical. It appears if technatrigger cut these with conventional vertical mill. Simple carbide end-mills would zip something like this out with no sweat. Those are relatively affordable.

Issues do arrise when most of the material is removed and your small parts start chattering. That can hurt the edges of yor part.

If you were to source everything minus clamping fixtures: 1/4" thick (or so) tooling board (possibly a piece of scrap if you can source that type of thing, an end-mill, labor for maching and CNC code genration, you're going to be paying in excess of $75. Heck, the labor charge alone will probably be more than that.

When it's all said and done, your best bet for small production runs is to merely buy one from technatrigger if you want the gimmick-factor of CF.

 

[apextriggers]

No I am making at least 5 to prototype and then a minimum of twenty more after that. So would it probably be a little cheaper after that. I haven't done much CNC work before so I'm guessing that $75 estimate is mostly for getting it started but in order to cut a few of them from one sheet it would presumably cost less right, because they do more than just one at a time. So I guess what I'm asking is would it cost the estimated $75 for EACH trigger cut from a large sheet?