High-Performance Carbon Composite Tooling Material for Rapid Mould Production
C-BLOCK 160 Carbon Fibre Reinforced Tooling Board
C-BLOCK 160
C-BLOCK 160 is a carbon fibre reinforced tooling board developed to provide a fast, reliable alternative for prototype tooling, low-volume production moulds and tooling inserts. Manufactured using chopped carbon fibre and epoxy resin under high-pressure compression, it combines the machining advantages of CNC tooling boards with the dimensional stability and low thermal expansion characteristics of carbon fibre composites.
Designed as a “Ready-to-CNC” solution, C-BLOCK 160 helps manufacturers reduce lead times while maintaining high tooling accuracy and thermal performance.
Material Construction:
- Carbon fibre reinforced epoxy tooling board
- Chopped carbon fibre (“forged carbon” appearance)
- High-pressure manufacturing process (>500 tonnes)
- Fibre volume fraction: approximately 55%
- Dense, consistent substrate with excellent edge integrity
- Ready for direct CNC machining
Performance Benefits:
Reduced Lead Time
Compared with conventional stock-block construction and prepreg lay-up methods, C-BLOCK 160 eliminates multiple manufacturing stages and arrives ready for machining.
Lower Process Costs
By removing the need for extensive lay-up operations, curing cycles and post-processing, overall tooling production costs can be substantially reduced.
Improved Thermal Stability
The low thermal expansion characteristics of carbon fibre provide mould accuracy comparable to traditional tooling materials while maintaining significantly lower weight.
Lightweight Construction
The composite structure offers substantial weight savings over steel and aluminium tooling solutions.
Key Technical Features:
- Service temperature up to 160°C
- Low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE)
- High dimensional stability during thermal cycling
- Excellent CNC machinability
- Strong edge retention during machining
- Lightweight compared with traditional tooling materials
- Suitable for direct mould and insert production
- Reduced manufacturing lead times
- High fibre content for enhanced mechanical performance
Explore Our Range:
| Product | Reinforcement | Resin System | Density | Fibre Volume Fraction | HDT | CTE (In-Plane) | Board Size | Thickness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-BLOCK 160 | Chopped Carbon Fibre | Epoxy | 1.4 kg/dm³ | 55% | 160°C | 13 ± 7 µm/m°C | 750 × 500 mm | 40 mm* |
* Additional thicknesses can be achieved by bonding multiple boards together.
Mould accuracy and low CTE
Considering the intrinsic low thermal expansion coefficient of c-block, a mould was made intentionally without a scaling factor to allow effective evaluation of cte, as visible from the following table the values are confirmed to be low enough to place c-block as comparable to carbon-steel behaviour.
| Material | CTE μm/m°C | Main Properties | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Steel | 12 | Density | 1,4 kg/dm³ |
| Aluminium | 24 | HDT (Heat Distorsion Temperature) | 160°C |
| Aluminium Alloys | 23 | CTE* | α in-plane 13 ± 7 (μm/m)°C** |
| WB700N (Epoxy) | 40 | Fiber Volume Fraction | 55% |
| C-BLOCK 160 | α in-plane 13 ± 7 (μm/m)°C** | Dimensions | 750X500X40mm |
*Available thicknesses: thickness 40 mm. Possibility of gluing board to reach higher thicknesses.
**Calculated value relative to axis x (for further details contact the technicians).