How it Works

The RTS machine design in no way resembles a conventional tooling system. Its tool bed is a large, deep, flexible tray filled with a slurry of 2Phase’s unique “engineered quicksand” — a “state-change material” composed of a ceramic powder mixed with a water-soluble inorganic binder solution — and covered by a thin, flexible silicone membrane.

To replicate a part, the master is placed on the membrane and covered by a vacuum cap. The air around the master is evacuated and the master sinks into the slurry mix, which exactly conforms to the part’s shape. Using the controls and pumps of the system base station, the machine then withdraws the liquid from the “quicksand” and rapidly hardens it to a firm, chalk-like consistency. The entire process takes just 15 to 30 minutes, and in many cases, the solidified mix can then be used as a tool for low-temperature composite molding. If a harder, more durable tool is required, the mold is then heated up to temperatures as high as 400°F to remove the last of the liquid and harden the mix to a ceramic-like state. The process of fully hardening the tool takes between six and eight hours.

In this form, the tool can be removed from the tool bed and used to mold composites by processes such as autoclave curing or vacuum thermoforming. When the fabrication of the composite part is complete, the tool can be used again or, even if fully hardened, can be reconfigured to make another type of part. To reconfigure the tooling material, the water-based binder mixture is reintroduced, dissolving the inorganic binder, and the solidified state-change material is reliquified. The tool bed is thus returned to its original slurry state, allowing the shop to begin work on another tooling project.

The RTS 4000 comes with a hefty price tag of about $250,000 per machine. While the cost may be prohibitive for some smaller composite shops, large composites users like the aerospace industry should find the price reasonable. A single system can quickly allow production or replication of many different composite pieces and thus replace numerous tools that can cost up to $100,000 each.

Where it Stands

With continued development, 2Phase anticipates that the technology will provide aerospace and transportation manufacturers a means of creating faster, less-expensive products or repairs with conventional or high-temperature composites. In some or many applications, 2Phase officials believe their technology may replace altogether tooling materials and approaches currently used.

2Phase now is looking for customers as well as joint-development partners willing to invest to embed the RTS technology into their applications.

More Information

For more information on the RTS machine, click here. (Source: MDA TechUpdate, Missile Defense Agency, National Technology Transfer Center Washington Operations)