Kenworth Truck Hood. Nice Rig!

There’s a saying around Diversified Manufacturing of California, Inc.’s facility in Vista California. “You say it, we make it!” That’s the kind of “can do” attitude Thane Rivers, Founder, President and CEO of DMOC has instilled in his highly accomplished team of designers, programmers and fabricators. They’ll not only make it, but make it right.

Take the DMOC customer who produces body parts for Kenworth big rigs. They needed a highly precise mold to cast their FRP hoods from. The DMOC team created a 3D drawing to customer specifications with all the “hard points”. Next, they mocked up the general shape of the model by bonding sheets of PBHT-20 Precision Board Plus and mounted the tooling block on their 5-axis milling machine.

 

After a few hours of machining, the completed part was “digitally” inspected using approximately 200 sample points. The result? A finished pattern that is within 1/10 of a millimeter at all points of the CAD drawing! Molds are then cast from this “validated” pattern, from which hundreds of Kenworth FRP hoods will be made and shipped around the world. And due to DMOC’s careful process, not to mention the high degree of dimensional stability of Precision Board Plus, these parts are sure to fit properly every time.

 

Did You Know?

All Precision Board Plus densities possess excellent dimensional stability. The CTE for PBHT-20, the material used on the project above, is a very low 27×10-6 F, making Precision Board Plus an excellent choice as a tooling substrate when tight tolerances are required. For CTE specifications on other Precision Board Plus densities, see our product data sheets.

In addition, Precision Board Plus does not out-gas during the curing process, so it’s ideal for layup tools and mold patterns (see autoclave ramping procedures). To learn more about the capabilities of Precision Board Plus, go to www.precisionboard.com.

Need help with a quote? Click here or call us at 800-845-0745

A New Stetson For Clint

 

Anyone who has traveled along Highway 101 through Pismo Beach California has no doubt seen the 40 foot wooden hand-carved statue of Clint the Cowboy standing proud in the parking lot of McLintock’s Saloon. For a few months regular travelers might even have noticed the familiar icon was missing his hat. It had to be removed due to a Bark Beetle infestation, which also damaged his left arm and leg, as well as his six-shooter.

Signcraft of Santa Maria, CA was hired to perform Clint’s makeover. True to the techniques originally used to sculpt Clint more than 25 years ago, Mark Blackford, Signcrafts owner, and his crew of skilled craftsmen hand carved Clint’s new hat from 15lb Precision Board Plus HDU, complete with cracks and wood grain to recreate the aged look of the original hat and other damaged parts. This iconic cowboy once again has the protection over his head that serves the intended purpose of a Cowboy hat.

To see other projects from Mark and his team at Signcraft Santa Maria, go to their website at www.signcraftsm.com.

Does your project require a higher density of Precision Board Plus that your distributor doesn’t stock? No problem. Your distributor doesn’t want to miss a sale and neither do we. We keep all Precision Board Plus densities in stock (see below) and will gladly drop ship directly to you and handle the invoice through your distributor. Click here for help with your quote or call us at 800-845-0745.

Did You Know?

Precision Board Plus PBLT is a “closed cell” product, virtually impervious to any water absorption. This means that water will not find its way into Precision Board Plus, which can lead to cracking, splitting or rotting. Additionally, Precision Board Plus does not support mold or mildew growth, so you can be certain your signs will perform for years to come. Oh, and by the way, Bark Beetles don’t like Precision Board Plus, so Clint should be in good shape for many years as well.

FSC-360WB Repairs Cracks…and Mistakes

Get a bit too aggressive with the sandblaster? The sign you just finished have some surface damage needing repair prior to finishing? It happens. And when it does you’ll be glad you have some FSC-360 WB Putty on hand. FSC-360 WB is a high quality, water-based putty specifically designed to repair damage that may occur with Precision Board Plus during carving or machining.

Simply apply to the damaged area using a standard putty knife in “lifts” of about 1/8” to 1/4” thick, waiting approximately 30-45 minutes between lifts for FSC-360 WB to firm up. FSC-360 WB is easily sanded and is compatible with all types of finish primers and paints. FSC-360 WB can also be used as a “general purpose” repair putty for a variety of materials such as wood, metal and most plastics.

To accelerate drying, use a large fan to create a draft across your work. Never use radiant heat, including direct solar heat to facilitate drying. Cleanup with FSC-360 WB is easy with warm soapy water.

For complete application instructions, see our FSC-360 WB product data sheet or go to our Video Library to watch our new FSC-360 step-by-step application video.