At Ru-bix, we recognise that the needs of the aerospace industry are ever changing. As aerospace engineering evolves, aircraft are getting bigger and more complex. Therefore, the aerospace industry is constantly seeking more cost-effective alternatives to their manufacturing processes to remain competitive.
Our Halo™ tooling boards are a hybrid polymer which boasts the sought after characteristics of other composites such as epoxy, whilst retaining the cost-effectiveness of the polyurethanes. This has enabled us to provide innovative solutions to the aerospace industry, as seen through the potential applications below:
Structural components
As a result of the high Tg and low CTE, our Halo™ boards have the ability to withstand high temperatures, ensuring their ability to be used in demanding applications. Furthermore, we are able to customise the properties of our Halo™ boards so that they are appropriate for specific applications.
Prototyping
Hybrid polymer tooling boards are perfect for creating prototypes of aerospace components due to their high accuracy and dimensional stability. As a result of our Halo™ tooling board’s excellent machinability, they can be tailored to complex shapes which makes them a cost-effective method of prototyping intricate designs within the aerospace industry.
Moulds
The Halo™ boards that we produce have a glossy finish, which makes them suitable for creating moulds to produce aerospace components. Alongside this, they are suitable for carbon fibre prepreg which is a particularly attractive feature in the aerospace industry. Thus, our Halo™ Boards could be utilised to create carbon fibre components from, which provides a lightweight, durable addition to an aircraft. As our Halo™ boards are a hybrid polymer, they can produce carbon fibre moulds for a fraction of the price in comparison to other common prototyping materials.
Aerodynamic components
Our Halo™ tooling boards can be used to create complex, aerodynamic components that are critical to the performance of aerospace systems. Due to their high dimensional stability, and the level of accuracy that we ensure each board satisfies, they are an ideal choice for creating models of aerospace components that require high levels of precision.
Thermoforming
The HaloTM board is ideal for thermoforming processes, where both compressive and high temperature resistance is required. The board is particularly useful for thermoformed plastics that possess a high softening temperature such as polycarbonate or ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate). These high-impact, chemical-resistant plastics benefit from the use of Halo plugs, ensuring consistently high dimensional tolerances and a blemish-free surface. This is a particularly important requirement for transparent high-performance mouldings used in the aerospace sector.
