Two-Sided Tools for Layup of Composite Sandwich Panels

A simple change in the design of tools used in manufacturing laminated-composite-material sandwich panels reduces the floor area needed to store the tools. To give meaning to a description of this modification, it is necessary to explain the basic function and original design of these tools: The basic function of such a tool is to provide a surface sized and shaped (possibly including a complex curvature) to match one of the two face sheets of the composite sandwich panel to be fabricated. A sheet of laminated composite material in uncured or partially cured form is laid up on the tool surface, then cured to form a face sheet (see Figure 1). The face sheet is then removed from the tool surface. The opposite face sheet is formed in the same manner on another tool, then the two face sheets are bonded to opposite faces of a honeycomb- or eggcrate-like core to form the composite sandwich panel.