Working With Composites
Composite Material Best Practices
Working with carbon fiber composites has some inherent dangers. Our hope is to provide users with enough resources for them to know how to safely handle these materials.
Personal Safety:
- Work in a well ventilated area: while carbon fiber dust is not toxic, it can be an irritant to your skin, nose, eyes, and lungs. Reducing the amount of carbon particulate in the air will cause the greatest reduction in risk
- Protect your eyes: as we should with all cutting operations, it is imperative to have proper eye protection while cutting carbon fiber. Please wear safety glasses or goggles to reduce the risk of particulate irritating your eyes.
- Protect your skin: Carbon Fiber particulate can cause irritation to your skin, such as itching or "prickling", we advise to have as little exposed skin as possible while cutting carbon fiber. Wearing gloves and a long sleeve shirt will greatly reduce risk.
- Protect your lungs: Wearing a facial covering, such as a mask, or respirator is strongly recommended in order to minimize the amount of dust inhaled.
Note:
- Peoples reactions to carbon fiber particles will vary depending on a myriad of factors such as allergies or skin sensitivity.
Additional Resources:
Watch this Video from EasyComposites:
Read from The University of New South Whales:
Carbon Fiber Information Sheet
Read some great general practices from DragonPlate: