Custom Precision Board Tooling Blocks: The Ultimate Soft Tooling Solution
“Some of the layup tools we made at Skunk Works were absolutely massive, which meant CNC time was a major factor when determining
project deadlines. Coastal’s custom bonded blocks saved us hours on the CNC and ensured we stayed on time and on budget- they are the true gold standard in tooling efficiency.”
– Jon Sharp, former Lockheed Martin composites engineer and air racing legend, on why his team at Lockheed’s Advanced Development Programs (Skunk Works) chose Precision Board custom-bonded blocks for large soft tooling jobs.
Industrial tooling can be a delicate and difficult process. Keeping an important project on schedule and below budget requires assigning precise calculations to notoriously unpredictable variables. Designing the tool, acquiring substrate, developing routing paths, and machining the tool are all essential tasks that need to be performed sequentially, and all this before a single production part can be fabricated. It is the unknown factors in each step of production that end up setting a project back. If the substrate arrives late, if too much time is spent routing the tooling block, if there is a last-second design change in the part, if too much material is wasted by the tooling path; any of these events can turn a well-designed production run into a logistical nightmare. Thankfully, there is one sure-fire way to keep your project on schedule and under budget from conception to completion: Custom Precision Board tooling blocks from Coastal Enterprises.
In addition to manufacturing the largest and thickest sheets in the tooling industry, Coastal Enterprises will custom-bond sheets of our Precision Board in any configuration you require. With only a rough drawing of your finished part, we will fabricate a custom block that will significantly reduce waste, bonding time, and machining time. By creating a block that closely matches the specifications of your end design, we allow you to only machine away the excess material and leave the majority of the block intact.
Take a look at the step tool above. Just think of how long it would take to rout a solid block of substrate down to this shape! So much precious time is wasted on the CNC router, time that could be spent fabricating finished parts. Not to mention the wasted material. Buying an entire block and machining down to spec means you are paying more for material that you intend to dispose of! Simply put, there is no good reason to hamstring your project by sticking with an obsolete production model. Why not have Coastal do the busy work for you? We will deliver a custom-made tooling block to your door, ready to be machined immediately upon arrival. And with our super quick turn around time, you’re already closer to the production stage than ever before.
Coastal Enterprises does industrial soft tooling the smart way, and it’s high time you gave it a try. Get a quote on your custom bonded block today, and modernize your composite fabrication with Precision Board! Click here to request a free sample, and see for yourself why the material makes all the difference!