Figure 6. Surface finish comparison. Figure 7. Micrographs of tooling surface. Figure 5. Laser scanning. RESULTS Visual Inspection of Tool Upon completion of 100 cycles, the tool and surface was visually inspected for any signs of degradation. Apart from the buildup of release coating, no obvious changes are noted. This includes no mark off of the fiber weave or TC wire in the tool surface. As typical with mold release, it periodically needs to be removed. A light sanding, re-sealing, and rereleasing could be applied to correct this. Figure 6 shows the tool surface before thermal cycles, and after 100 cycles and no removal of the applied release. In thermoset tooling, micro-cracking of the resin will eventually lead to tool failure. As microcracks propagate they create failure propagation points and eventually lead to leak paths in the tool surface. This tool degradation is further complicated by the fact that part resin can infiltrate that cracks potentially causing pull out of fibers and resin or disbonds in the tool if release does not properly penetrate the cracks. Figure 7 shows close up micrographs of the surface, no problems were noted during microscopic inspection at 1000x magnification. The lack of mico-cracking in the tool surface could indicate that tool life for printed tools is significantly longer than that of thermoset composite tools. A slight discoloration from the bag sealant tape was noted after repeated thermal cycling. This discoloration is common with all tooling www.sampe.org JULY/AUGUST 2021 | SAMPE JOURNAL | 37http://www.sampe.org