Sheffield Cutting Equipment (El Cajon, Calif., U.S.) develops and manufactures more than 80 different types and variations of highly accurate cutting machines, including specialized machines for cutting carbon fiber, as well as slitting machines. The company is exhibiting a few of its cold cutting equipment live for attendees, including its C-503 model, which is made specifically to cut carbon fiber from a roll.

Sheffield reports that its cutting equipment is used to cut 90% of all seat belts in North America for automotive and the airline industry. It also manufacturers custom machines for fall protection, medical and the U.S. military. 

The C-503 model offers an adjustable feeding speed up to 14" per sec. Gear-driven rollers help maintain tolerances of ±0.001% of total length, and there are four settings to measure in inches and mm. The machine is capable of cutting from 1/16" to 300' in length with a 9"-wide knife. In addition to cutting carbon fiber, it can also process fiberglass and natural fibers like cotton. 

Using this equipment is meant to automate the labor-intensive job of manually cutting materials. The operator simply installs a roll of material on the roll stand that comes with the machine, selects the quantity and length of each piece, presses the start button and can walk away from the machine. When the counter reaches the set quantity, the machine automatically stops and a beeper comes on to let the operator know that it has finished.