Sapphire · Service
Sapphire Composite Layup Tooling
I need a layup mould or a master for a composite part. Who builds it, at what size, and in what tool material?
What it is
Design and manufacture of the mould a composite part is laid up and cured on. The tool has to hold vacuum, survive repeated autoclave cycles, and expand at the same rate as the part it is making, which is why Invar, at roughly a tenth the thermal expansion of steel, is the default material despite the cost. Get the expansion wrong and the part cures off-contour.
Suppliers
Suppliers 1
Companies that perform this process on customer material.
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Saint-Gobain Crystals Reported
Contracted to supply the US Army and Marine Corps with sapphire engineered armor AND the tooling to make bulletproof windshields and door windows for the M142 HIMARS. Recorded here as tooling supply rather than a composite layup mould; the service is the closest available match.
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