Composite Tooling
Prototype Composite Tooling
World’s Fastest Composite Tools
Touchstone has spent millions of dollars and over a decade in the development of fast, inexpensive and very accurate composite tools for the manufacture of prototype parts.
The prototype tooling process uses a new, higher-density CFOAM tooling board material with a coefficient of thermal expansion almost indistinguishable from many carbon fiber prepreg materials.
The foam is milled to shape, and a proprietary surface is then applied to the foam.
World’s Fastest Composite Tools – It is believed that no other prototype tooling method can produce tools as fast as this method.
“Touchstone has spent millions of dollars and over a decade in the development of fast, inexpensive and very accurate composite tools for the manufacture of prototype parts.”
Satellite Reflector Tools
For those in the satellite reflector business, the number of parts required from any tool is very small. Because of the precision required, many satellite reflector tools are produced from monolithic graphite. The tools are massively heavy and slow to build.
Touchstone’s prototype tooling surfaces have been produced to tolerances as great as +/- .0016” and their performance has been shown to be identical to monolithic graphite tools.
Touchstone’s proprietary prototype tooling surface is capable of being used at temperatures as high as 400º F (204ºC).
Aircraft Prototype Tools
The prototype surfaces are capable of making parts with the same surface quality as Invar®, steel, aluminum and composite tools.
The prototype surfaces can be made to almost any size. An entire aircraft fuselage has been produced in 4 large prototype tools. Hydrofoils large enough to lift an entire sailboat have been made from CFOAM prototype composite tooling.