Mold & Tooling Components for
Aerospace Manufacturing

Aircraft seat frames, armrest brackets, overhead bin latches, and galley components must meet stringent FAR 25.853 fire/smoke/toxicity requirements — this limits material selection to PEEK, PEI (Ultem), and PPS. These high-performance polymers process at mold temperatures of 180-200°C (for crystalline PEEK) with melt temperatures of 380-400°C, creating a thermal environment that standard mold components cannot sustain.

We supply complete component sets for aerospace PEEK molds: ASP-23 core pins rated for continuous 420°C operation, TiAlN-coated cavity inserts that prevent the polymer adhesion characteristic of PEEK at processing temperature, and high-temperature-rated ejector components that maintain dimensional specification through the extreme thermal cycling. Every component ships with aerospace-grade documentation: mill cert, heat treatment record, hardness certificate, and CMM report.

Carbon fiber composite layup tools for aircraft structures (wing skins, fuselage panels, control surfaces) must survive hundreds of autoclave cycles at 180°C and 7 bar pressure. The tooling surface — typically Invar 36 (low CTE alloy) or carbon fiber — contains precision locating features, caul plate attachment points, and vacuum channel routing that must maintain dimensional accuracy within ±0.05mm across 2,000mm+ spans throughout the autoclave cycling program.

We supply precision locating pins and fixture components for composite layup tooling in materials compatible with Invar's unique thermal expansion characteristics. Our fixture pins are available in Invar-compatible stainless steel grades (17-4PH) with matched CTE values, ensuring that the pin-to-tool fit remains consistent across the full autoclave temperature range — preventing the fit loosening that causes part shifting during cure.

Resin transfer molding (RTM) tools for aerospace composite parts operate at cure temperatures of 120–180°C under 10–15 bar injection pressure. The core pins forming internal passages in composite brackets and fittings must maintain positional accuracy at elevated temperatures while resisting the erosive flow of glass or carbon fiber slurry.

We supply ASP-23 core pins with vacuum heat treatment to HRC 63–65 for RTM tooling. These maintain full hardness at sustained 180°C operation. Recommended: Core Pins & Inserts.

Aircraft interior panels (overhead bins, sidewalls, galley fronts) are molded in FAR 25.853 flame-retardant compounds — typically PC/ABS FR or PEI blends. These materials require processing temperatures of 280–340°C and generate corrosive off-gases that attack standard tool steels. Surface texture must meet airline brand specifications for visual consistency across hundreds of panels.

We specify S136 stainless cavity inserts for corrosion resistance against FR compound off-gassing, with VDI-grade texture preparation. Core pins in ASP-23 handle the elevated processing temperatures. Recommended: Stepped Core Pins.

Engine nacelle components require assembly fixtures with locating pin accuracy of ±0.01mm across spans exceeding 2 meters. These fixtures hold composite and titanium components during drilling, fastening, and inspection operations. The locating pins must maintain positional accuracy through thousands of load/unload cycles while resisting the cutting fluid exposure from drilling operations.

We manufacture precision locating pins in DC53 (HRC 60–62) with CrN coating for corrosion resistance. Custom lengths up to 300mm with ±0.003mm diameter tolerance. Recommended: Tooling & Fixture Accessories.

Lightweight PEEK and PEI brackets replace aluminum in cable routing, fluid line support, and avionics mounting applications. These small (10–40mm) parts are molded in 8–16 cavity tools at processing temperatures of 380–420°C. The core pins forming screw boss features must survive thousands of cycles at temperatures that would destroy conventional tool steels.

We supply ASP-23 core pins rated for continuous 420°C operation, with step features as small as 0.5mm for miniature screw bosses. Block core pin assemblies ensure ±0.002mm cavity-to-cavity consistency. Recommended: Block Core Pins.

Aerospace-grade connector housings use PPS-GF40 or PI (polyimide) for high-temperature wire harness applications. Multi-cavity tools (16–32 cavities) with core pins as small as 0.5mm form the contact channels. Pin positional accuracy of ±0.01mm is mandatory — misalignment causes connector mating failures during aircraft assembly.

Our wire-EDM finished block core pin assemblies achieve ±0.005mm positional accuracy across all cavities. ASP-23 material handles PPS processing at 320–340°C. Recommended: Straight Core Pins.

Aircraft environmental control system (ECS) ducting is increasingly injection molded in PPS or high-temperature PA compounds, replacing traditional sheet metal fabrication. These parts feature complex internal passages with multiple branch connections, requiring intricate core pin arrangements with undercut release mechanisms for the internal geometry.

We supply collapsible core systems and multi-piece core pin assemblies for ducting molds. The core components use ASP-23 for temperature resistance, with precision-ground mating surfaces to prevent flash at core joins. Recommended: Undercut & Slide Systems.

Self-lubricating bearing bushings for landing gear and flight control linkages are molded in PTFE-filled compounds or PEEK-CF (carbon fiber). These parts require bore diameter tolerance of ±0.005mm and surface finish of Ra <0.2μm on bearing contact surfaces. The mold core pins forming the bore must maintain sub-micron surface quality through the production run.

We manufacture precision bore core pins in ASP-23 with optical-grade surface finishing. Bore features are ground to h5 tolerance with mirror polish on bearing contact areas. Recommended: Taperless Core Pins.