Glass Fiber Composite · Service
Glass Fiber Composite Autoclave Cure
My part needs an autoclave cure. Who has a vessel big enough, and what is the queue?
What it is
Curing bagged laminate under simultaneous heat and external gas pressure, which consolidates plies and suppresses voids. The qualification baseline for most aerospace primary structure, and a hard capacity constraint because autoclaves are enormous and few.
Suppliers
Suppliers 3
Companies that perform this process on customer material.
-
ACP Composites VerifiedAS9100
Autoclave curing available alongside oven cure. Fiberglass is named explicitly among the fabrics processed. Autoclave dimensions are referenced on the site but not published. Confirm the envelope before designing to it.
source -
CTL Aerospace, Inc. VerifiedAS9100NADCAP CompositesNADCAP Materials Testing Laboratories
Autoclave moulding of glass fibre structures. CTL works silica and quartz as well as carbon, glass and Kevlar, which points at radome and thermal protection work rather than general airframe structure. AS9100D and ITAR compliant; the NADCAP scope is stated only as a 'compliant captive laboratory'. Confirm it. No autoclave dimensions or part size limits are published.
source -
Small, medium and large autoclaves, plus hydroclaves rated 400 F at 1,000 PSI. Far above typical autoclave pressure, which is how thick ablative and high fibre volume parts are consolidated without voids. NOTE the application: this is rocket motor and propulsion composite work rather than airframe structure. Confirm the shop is set up for your part type.
source
Input material
Forms this process takes in.