Profiled Edge Laminae (PEL) tooling is a thick-layer Rapid Tooling (RT) method that was developed a decade ago. Even with demonstrable advantages for large-scale tool applications over conventional CNC-machining of a solid billet and other commercially available RT methods, PEL tooling has not seen widespread use by industry because prior research related to laminated tooling has (1) focused on small-scale tools and perpendicular laser-cutting that required extensive surface finishing, and (2) there is no integrated and practical design and fabrication approach to tooling development. This paper describes a more streamlined and integrated approach to PEL tooling development, called the PEL Process, that builds upon prior work in this area. Critical components of the process that are described in detail include how to obtain lamina slicing information directly from a CAD model of the intended tool surface, how to measure dimensional errors between the PEL and CAD tool surfaces, and improved Abrasive Waterjet cutting trajectory and laminae slicing algorithms. The PEL Process is then demonstrated for the design and fabrication of aluminum PEL tooling used for hydroforming aircraft sheet metal components.

Volume Subject Area:
Manufacturing (Research Oriented)
Topics:
Design, Manufacturing, Tooling, Computer-aided design, Aircraft, Algorithms, Aluminum, Computer numerical control machine tools, Errors, Laser cutting, Machining, Rapid tooling, Sheet metal, Surface finishing, Trajectories (Physics), Water jet cutting
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