Streamlined Filtration Keeps Aerospace Composite Cutting Clean

November 3, 2025 4:37 pm

The Growth of CFRP in Aerospace Manufacturing

Since its adoption into aerospace designs for non-load-bearing components in the late 1960s, Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) has been increasingly incorporated into more aspects of airplane construction because of its excellent strength-to-weight ratio. CFRP now accounts for approximately 50% by weight of at least one major airline OEM manufacturer’s airframe.  Machinability of the material, however, is difficult. Filtering the thick black dust generated by CFRP processing is a constant concern for aerospace manufacturers.

The Challenge: Managing Carbon Fiber Dust and Coolant Filtration

To maximize its production cycle and improve tool life, one aerospace OEM turned to conveyor and filtration experts at Jorgensen to develop a high-performance system specifically for a CFRP application producing stringers for a vertical airframe stabilizer. The components were machined on a horizontal high-velocity universal machining center in batches of seven. The horizontal universal machining center was developed specifically for the aerospace manufacturing sector. It is well-suited for processing aluminum and composite airframe components.

Designed for high-volume production with fast cycle times, the machine tool’s capabilities were best utilized by consistent, constant production. Further, because the process of producing the composite stringers involved seven matched components, it was essential that the OEM could run the entire batch without interruption. The particular machining process also used a special water-soluble coolant. It required considerable filtration to remove the half-inch thick carbon fiber sludge produced by the cutting operation from the coolant to provide sufficient tool life and good surface finish.

Unfortunately, the original conveyor/filtration used was unable to sufficiently screen the carbon fiber shards and dust produced during machining. The manufacturer needed to improve the filtration process but sought a solution that was not as costly and large as the standard pressure differential/vacuum filtering system typically used in CFRP machining. The added vacuum pumps and other equipment required for standard pressure differential systems would have also exceeded the OEM’s available floorspace and added significant cost to the operations.

The Solution: A Self-Cleaning Conveyor and Multi-Stage Filtration System

To effectively transport the chips and composite sludge out of the machine and filter it from the coolant, experts supplied a self-cleaning EcoFilter conveyor and chip filtration system that provided initial filtration to 200 microns at over 98% efficiency. The new conveyors used a two-stage chip removal and filtration process that carries out large chips on a hinged or scraper belt.

Fine chips flowed with used coolant between the belt runs through the conveyor cell where they were separated from the coolant. Then, clean coolant was discharged to the coolant tank while filtered fines were brushed from the filter screen, picked up by the belt cleats and discharged.

A gravity media filter after the conveyor further cleaned the coolant to 25 microns, and dual bag filters (with a manual switchover) provided final filtration that polished the coolant to 10 microns. The system was crowned with an add-on Will-Fill unit that combined automatic measuring, filling and conditioning of the coolant during machining and alerted operators via Wi-Fi capability when attention was required.

Results: Improved Uptime, Efficiency, and Cost Savings

By obtaining the necessary filtering capability, the OEM significantly reduced machine downtime for cleaning. This gives them more room in a tight production schedule. Maintaining their production schedule is critical to turning out the airframe elements at a pace of seven sets per week to address a backlog of production orders and meet additional delivery quotas for the future. Further, effectively removing the fine carbon dust and sludge from the coolant increased tool life substantially. This further improved uptime and production with decreased downtime for tool changeovers.

As with any machining operation, whether it be processing traditional materials, exotic alloys or composites, adequate chip removal and coolant filtration are essential to maintain the rigid surface finish requirements necessary for aerospace production.

Consulting with conveyor and filtration specialists at Jorgensen not only provided the necessary material removal and filtration requirements, but it did so at less than half the cost. This filtration system covered approximately 25% of the footprint that a vacuum system would have required, thereby meeting the tight floor space restrictions dictated by the OEM’s physical constraints.

Keeping Pace with the Future of Composite Machining

Aerospace engineers will continue to expand the role of CFRPs in their designs. Manufacturers must keep pace with processing techniques that can cost-effectively and efficiently deal with the material’s machineability challenges. Advanced conveyor and filtration solutions are one such technique that can appropriately filter out CFRP chips and sludge economically over large and costly traditional vacuum/pressure systems.

Categorised in: Case Stories, In the Press