Stiff. Light. Precision machined. Weight critical.

Yes — carbon fiber plate (woven CF in epoxy) machines with CNC using appropriate practices: diamond-coated or PCD (polycrystalline diamond) tools for long life (carbide wears rapidly), wet coolant to manage dust, HEPA dust collection for operator safety, slower feeds than metal. Achievable tolerances ±0.05 mm; surface finish Ra 1.6 µm typical. Glass fiber content causes abrasive tool wear.

Machining CF plate: use pre-formed sheet, cut and machine features into it. Lower cost, shorter lead time, standard structural properties. Laid-up CF: custom composite layup for specific structural requirements. Higher performance (directional fiber orientation matches load paths) but higher cost and longer lead time. For prototypes and low-volume structural, machining CF plate is usually faster and cheaper. For optimized structural production, laid-up CF wins.

PEEK-CF30: thermoplastic (moldable + machinable), chemically resistant, autoclavable, ESD-dissipative. For semiconductor handling, medical autoclave components, chemically aggressive environments. Plain CF plate: thermoset epoxy matrix (cannot be remelted), much stiffer, used for structural applications. Choose PEEK-CF30 for chemical/thermal/electrical service; choose CF plate for max structural stiffness.

Carbon fiber dust is a respiratory and skin irritant. Our CF machining uses: dedicated machining area with HEPA dust collection (separated from other work), wet coolant to contain dust, protective PPE for operators, containerized chip/dust disposal. Finished parts are safe to handle. For customers handling finished CF parts, standard PPE during secondary operations (sanding, drilling) recommended.

Pultruded CF tubes: standard sizes 5–50 mm OD × 3–48 mm ID in 1 m lengths, lead time 1–2 weeks. Custom tube OD/ID: 2–3 week lead time with mandrel setup. Filament-wound CF tubes for higher performance: 4–6 week lead time through composite partner. For drone arms and structural tubes, pultruded is usually adequate and cost-effective.

CF plate: $50–200/kg depending on weave and grade vs aluminum at $5/kg. Parts cost 10–20× aluminum equivalent primarily due to material cost. Worth it when weight savings (50–60% vs aluminum) justifies the premium. Not worth it for non-weight-critical applications. PEEK-CF30: $300–500/kg — specialty material, premium applications only.