Piedmont Marine Grade® Aqua-Steel® Fabrication Guide

Machining Fabrication AQUASTEEL PRODUCT DESCRIPTION BEST PRACTICE CUTTING GUIDELINES AquaSteel is a specially formulated thermoset Recommended saw cutting method uses a Festool material that easily replaces structural 55 REQ Plunge Cut or similar track saw or equivalent aluminum backing plates in fiberglass on appropriate cutting surface with a support panel lamination applications. This product also does not present a reaction with stainless steel fasteners which eliminates galvanic corrosion. Blade recommendation 48-60 Tooth 15 Hooked Tooth Triple Chip Grind TCG Carbide Tipped Square panels before cutting sheet into blocks or strips AquaSteel offers outstanding screw retention Make required cut and compression strength which makes it ideal Inspect edge for smooth finish. Chipping or burring may for either through bolted or drilled and taped fastening methods. indicate a new blade is required. This Technical Guide does not address Cutting with jigsaw circular saw or table saw may also result in chipped or frayed edge requirements for structural engineering and application testing. Due to the vast array of FRP systems it is recommended that testing of this product be conducted in a manner consistent with that of the application. CNC MACHINING AquaSteel can be fabricated with computerized numeric control CNC machines. The below recommendations must be monitored throughout the fabrication process to ensure optimal cuttingefficiency as well as the quality of cut. Cutter and feed speed vary by thickness and suitable finish results. BEAM SAW CUTTING RECOMMENDATIONS CNC CUTTING RECOMMENDATIONS Boom Pressure 8 Bar Material Thickness 8mm 10mm and 13mm Feed Rate 29 mm Spindle Speed 14000 - 18000 rpm Speed 3600 rpm Feed Rate 100-150 inmin 2.54-3.81mm Blade Hook Tooth Type 15 72 teeth Triple Chip Grind TCG Carbide Tipped Bit Onsurd Phenolic Cutter 67-200 series CONTACT US 800.277.7898 Toll Free 704.597.8200 5010 W. W.T. Harris Blvd Charlotte NC 28269 www.piedmontplast

ics.com Machining Fabrication AQUASTEEL DRILLING AquaSteel is generally drilled using High Speed Steel bits CNC DRILLING RECOMMENDATIONS Bit Diameter 14 - 38 degrees. Bits designed for perforating fiberglass or metal Spindle Speed 4000 - 5000 rpm may also be used. It is recommended that all holes have an Feed Rate 50 inmin with diamond or carbide tips with a cutting angle of 60 inset of 1 from the outer perimeter. Most applications encapsulate AquaSteel blocks between layers of fiberglass laminates. If drilling without it being captured in laminates a supporting sheet such as plywood must be used under the panel to ensure a clean hole and to eliminate breakout. When properly drilled there should not be any chipping around the hole. Chipping may be a sign of a worn or dull bit or excessive feed rate into the material. FIBERGLASS LAMINATION AquaSteel is engineered for easy no prep lamination. It requires no sandinggrinding or solvent wipe down. Simply bed AquaSteel into wetted fiberglass for open molded parts or replace current aluminum backing plates for close molded or infused parts. AquaSteel can be drilled and taped in the same manner as aluminum. CONTACT US 800.277.7898 Toll Free 704.597.8200 5010 W. W.T. Harris Blvd Charlotte NC 28269 www.piedmontplastics.com