What tooling resin product do you use. What do you prefer?

General Composites Discussions Products Talk
#1

I have plenty of tooling gel, silicone, and fabric and tapes. But I’m about to order room temp tooling resin.

What do you guys use and recommend? I have two products I’ve used alot one is poly the other is epoxy.
I prefer epoxy for strength, heat and low shrinkage. But im open to suggestions, new products, and a brief review.

Please discuss why you like it, price, resin system capabilities, machinability, quality and cures if you can.

I want to build a long lasting tool for manufacture of a small production run. My tools will need to maintain high tolerance dowel and threaded fastener inserts. Being able to machine it easily is another plus. Low shrinkage is critical.

So what’s up guys… What’s out there?

Also list supplier in case it’s hard to find.

#2

I cant say what we use, but I def prefer Infusion tooling resins over the more standard wetlay/vac. resin systems. Cuts labor by a lot and the quality of the tool is much better.

#3

Resin choice is by what type of tool you need. Do you need a tool that can be placed inside an oven/autoclave? Then you’ll want a high temp tooling epoxy such as Resin Services sells. If your mold must be made of epoxy?, then there are many choices for room temp cure laminating epoxies. Remember a room temp laminated mold cannot be placed in an oven - ever.

If you are making a room temp mold I wouldn’t waste money on epoxy unless it is a small mold. I would use vinyl ester or polyester tooling resin. It’s cheaper, it’s easier to work with, it cures more rapidly.

#4

I choose vinylester gel and resin formy infusion molds

#5

I’m going to wet lay these tools. I’m gonna be making a 5 piece closed bladder. And I am leaning to polyester for ease of use. I’m concerned about shrinkage tho as inside diameter is going to be important.

I don’t think I’ll be able to do infusion on this tool… It’s gonna be complicated. So infusion resin is out.

So far no recommendations yet? I have a week or two before I have to get started.

#6

Epoxy N Fusion is a good system from PTM&W. http://www.ptm-w.com/index.asp?pgid=180 It has two resins one for parts and one for tools. I think the part resin is the same epoxy that Fibreglast sells as their 2000 series.

What is your plug made of?

#7

The plug is aluminum.

#8

And the mandrel for the silicon bladder is also aluminum.

#9

What about the flanges?

#10

Probably foam or block wax. I’ll building it on granite.

#11

VE maybe? It’s good enough for Mastercrafts molds and parts so I would think it should fill the bill for you. Your making the parts out of Epoxy? With wet lay, prepreg?

#12

No this isn’t the rudder it’s a different job totally. Building a set of tools special for a different project. Parts will be epoxy.

#13

:embarrassed: Oh… Well then I’ld go with the Epoxy -N- Fusion system from PTM-W. It doesn’t have to be infused.

#14

Ptm-w has exactly what I’m looking for. Their regional distributor on the other hand is lacking on the website and product availability dept. They seem more keen on selling hysol and henkel rather than ptm-w. :frowning: I’ll get ahold of the regional manager and see if he can help me get this stuff shipped directly to me. And hopefully in the quantiy I need.

What’s your situation been In getting this stuff. I’d like to place one order and not have to hit multiple vendors up.

I found the product list PDF on ptm-w website and… Wow. Everything all in one place!