The traditional method of manufacturing a clutch plate is to first fabricate the core plate by stamping or cutting or machining. Then likewise fabricate the friction material as a disc or segments and then bond the two together using a thermoset resin adhesive with the proper bonding temperature, time and pressure. This is something we do all day every day.
Water jet technology has enabled us to develop another methodology which opens up exciting (for us at least) new design alternatives which were previously impossible. By bonding the friction material substrate to a flat metal core beforehand and then final cutting on the water jet, a number of advantages and design freedoms become available. First, much more complicated shapes can be cut without the need for exact matching of both components as both are being cut at once. Time can be saved by utilizing one cutting operation instead of two, and rejected parts due to slippage of the friction material on the core plate can be avoided as well.
The primary advantage to the end user is design flexibility. The part shown was has the key projection cut after bonding thus the entire part has material coverage which in this case was an advantage. Virtually any shape composite can be cut using this method. Let us know if we can do something like this for you.