Advanced Tooling Systems for Out-0f-Autoclave Composites

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Air Force has identified out-of-autoclave (OoA) materials as vital to achieving fast and affordable manufacturing for future military platforms. OoA materials are anticipated to deliver a 30-40% cost advantage over conventional autoclave materials, however several hurdles remain that prevent more widespread adoption of OoA material systems. One particularly challenging issue is surface pitting, caused by air entrapment between the laminate and tool surface, which the low processing pressures inherent in the OoA vacuum bagging system are unable to remove. While several workaround solutions have been attempted, they do not meet the necessary requirements for repeatable, affordable, high-volume manufacturing of OoA composites. To eliminate surface pitting, Mikro Systems will adapt its patented Tomo Lithographic Molding (TOMO) process to create tooling with engineered surface features and air transport pathways to remove the trapped air from the composite lay-up. Mikro"s tooling will be compatible with existing 2D and 3D composite tools, and will enable future tooling innovations to improve performance, quality, repeatability, and cost for composite parts. The TOMO process is inherently flexible and low-cost, allowing for multiple design iterations in one tool set. Most importantly, Mikro"s tooling system will provide a tool finish surface quality for the composite parts. BENEFIT: Mikro"s patented TOMO tooling technology will solve the current issues of surface pitting on OoA part surfaces, and will provide a platform for future OoA product enhancements and manufacturing cost reductions. Mikro"s highly-engineered, integrated tooling construct will help improve process repeatability, reduce incidence of springback effect and porosity, and reduce parasitic weight through elimination of surfacing films. The TOMO process will also significantly reduce OoA manufacturing cost through reduction of consumables, processing time, manufacturing rework and touch labor.