Measuring and reduction of particle emissions caused by milling of fibre reinforced plastics

The dry machining of brittle materials is usually associated with the emission of dust which is characterised by small average particle size and a long exposure time. In this context, the milling of fibre reinforced polymers presents a particular hazard which includes the generation of a number of potentially hazardous materials resulting from the combination of materials in composite systems. Attempts at solving the problem of emissions are based on preventative measures which involve process management and machine tool selection. This entails the selection of process parameters and the geometric design of the cutting wedge in order to generate particles of sizes that will quickly settle out of the air.