Elastomeric Tooling

Elastomeric tooling uses rubber details to generate required molding pressure or to serve as a pressure intensifier during composite part curing cycles. This article discusses the various aspects of the forms of commercially available bag-side elastomeric caul systems. It describes the two basic methods, such as the trapped or fixed-volume rubber method and the variable-volume rubber method, of elastomeric tooling, which use the principles of thermal expansion molding. The significant properties and controlling equations that are required to characterize elastomeric tooling material are also discussed.