Tooling

The material to construct tooling is critical to the performance of the tool, especially when the tool is subjected to elevated temperatures.

The challenge with large tools, is that they can be very heavy and difficult to move and sometimes very expensive for small series. With composites, we help customers to reduce tool weights in some cases by 50% or more when compared with older aluminum and steel tools and fixtures.

For example, aluminum has a high coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) compared to that of a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy laminate.

 
Apparent density (g/cm3)
CTE (cm/cm/Cº

Aluminum

2,7

21,5 x 10-7

Stainless Steel

7,9

16,0 x 10-7

Carbon Fiber / Epoxy

1,5

1,3 x 10-7

Note: Properties of common materials; all data to be used as a guide only; not a specification.

 

Other advantages:

• Ability to be molded to complex shapes
• Ability to produce simple molds for prototyping or small series production.
• Easy and fast to reproduce.
• Easy to repair.

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