Composite Tooling
Invar, steel and aluminium
Metal tools offer machinability and stable surfaces, but mass, thermal inertia and expansion differ strongly.
In simple terms
Metal tools offer machinability and stable surfaces, but mass, thermal inertia and expansion differ strongly.
Best for
Durable production tools and heated matched moulds.
Watch out for
Invar minimises mismatch but is heavy and costly; aluminium heats quickly but expands much more than most CFRP lay-ups.
Typical applications
Autoclave skins, RTM tools, compression moulds and fixtures.
Related tools
Use the calculators to turn these concepts into preliminary engineering estimates.