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3D printed autoclave cure tooling for the automotive industry image

The production of high-precision cure tooling for automotive composite components is traditionally time-consuming and costly. With LFAM technology, Caracol enables a faster and more efficient approach, reducing lead times and material waste while maintaining tight tolerances.

In high-end automotive applications such as supercars, cure tooling plays a critical role in shaping and laminating carbon fiber components, ensuring precision and performance in final parts.03 3d print Autoclave cure tooling for the automotive industry

Additive manufacturing for autoclave tooling production

Caracol developed a cure tool for carbon fiber carter covers in collaboration with Airtech, leveraging LFAM to directly produce the mold used for thermoset prepreg lamination.

Using the Heron AM 300 platform equipped with a High Flow extruder, the tool was manufactured in carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate (Dahltram C250-CF), a material suitable for mid-temperature autoclave processes up to 180°C and 6 bar.

The mold was printed as a single piece and then CNC machined to achieve the required surface quality and dimensional accuracy. This approach eliminates intermediate steps such as master model production and allows integration of functional features directly into the tool.

Production data

  • Technology: LFAM Heron AM (HF extruder) + CNC post-processing
  • Material: PC CF (Dahltram C250-CF)
  • Size: 500 × 500 × 200 mm
  • Surface roughness: 0.8 μm
  • Dimensional tolerances: 0.2 mm
  • Weight: 21 kg (up to 60% reduction)

Benefits and industrial value

The adoption of LFAM for cure tooling delivers significant advantages for automotive composite manufacturing:

  • Lead time reduction: From 8 weeks down to 2 weeks (up to 80% faster)
  • Cost savings: Starting from 50% reduction
  • Waste reduction: Up to 70% less material waste
  • Lightweight tooling: Up to 60% lighter, improving handling and logistics
  • Process simplification: Direct mold production without master models
  • Design flexibility: Ability to integrate functional features and optimize tool geometry
  • High performance: Stability under autoclave conditions and consistent part quality

This project demonstrates how large-format additive manufacturing can optimize tooling production for high-performance automotive applications, enabling faster, more sustainable, and cost-effective manufacturing processes.02 3d print Autoclave cure tooling for the automotive industry

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