Smart Tooling
Composite Bladders

Better Than A Silicone/Latex Bladder

Traditional
Elastic Bladders

A variety of factors limits traditional composite bladders such as latex, silicone, or viton. Since they are elastic at room temperature, it is impossible to properly layup composite materials onto the bladder, forcing you to layup into the female cavity mold. In addition, since composite material is crushed rather than expanded, knockdowns can occur in angular features.

Disadvantages:
  • Unable to produce complex parts
  • Inhibits composite expansion, causing knockdowns in angular features
  • Needs separate intensifiers to consolidate acute angles
  • Unable to produce unitized structures
  • Low cycle rate; needs replacing after 10 to 20 cycles

Smart Tooling
Composite Bladders

Because Smart Tools that act as Bladders are made from shape memory polymers, which are rigid during the layup process, composite materials can be layed up directly onto the bladder. This allows for additions like intensifiers or fastener build-ups to be built into the Smart Tool, enabling the final composite part to be unitized.

Advantages:
  • Shape memory polymers (SMP) allow use in trapped geometries
  • Because it's rigid at layup, composite is stretched rather than crushed, removing the risk of knockdowns
  • Intensifiers can be built into the Smart Tool
  • Enables unitized structures.
  • High cycle rate; lasts between 50 to 70 cycles
Learn More About Our Composite Bladders

Bladders for Complex & Trapped Geometry Composites

Smart Tooling provides formable, reusable composite tooling solutions for manufacturing composite parts with complex geometries for the aerospace & defense industry. Smart Tools improve quality, reduce labor hours, decrease consumables, and increase throughput – essentially, Smart Tools enable the manufacturing of composite parts better, cheaper, and faster.

Watch the video above for a demonstration of Smart Tools that act as Composite Bladders.

Features & Benefits:
  • Reduced Labor Hours
  • Improved Quality
  • Higher Throughput
  • Lower Consumable Cost
  • Formable
  • Reusable
  • Low Force Extractions
  • Enables Unitization
  • Clean Process
Compatible With:
  • Hand Layup
  • Filament Winding
  • Automated Fiber Placement (AFP)
  • Resins Transfer Molding (RTM)
  • Vacuum Assisted RTM (VARTM)
  • Injection Molding
  • Autoclave Cure
  • Oven Cure
  • Heated/Cooled Molds
  • Heated Press
  • Automation
 
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Learn more about Smart Tooling can ensure success of your composite part.