Coast Composites and Odyssey Industries announced today that they have added sophisticated state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment to their already substantial manufacturing facilities. This represents a significant Capital Expenditure investment for these members of the AIP Aerospace Tooling Group, further augmenting their capability to meet their increasing demands for high quality tooling and shorter delivery schedules from aerospace customers.

Coast Composites in Santa Ana, CA took delivery of a new High Velocity 5-Axis Milling Machine manufactured by Parpas America Corporation. The new Parpas XS Mill became operational on May 12, 2014. At 59-ft (18-m) of X-axis travel, this machine adds additional capacity to Coast's already significant large machining capability for manufacturing molds from Invar, aluminum, steel, and carbon composites. A unique patented thermal management system by Parpas improves tolerances by keeping the structure of the machine at a constant controlled ambient temperature.

"We also installed a Parpas XS machine at our Odyssey Tooling, Inc. facility in Lake Orion, Michigan which became operational on June 18, 2014. It is identical to the Parpas High Velocity 5-Axis Mill installed at Coast Composites but with a 40-ft (12-m) X-axis travel," said Mr. Walsh, Chief Operating Officer of AIP Aerospace Tooling Group.

A second Parpas Duplex XS machine will become operational at Coast Composites in the third quarter of 2014. This machine will also have 59-ft (18-m) of X-axis travel and will have two separate spindles capable of cutting two separate tools at the same time. Improved tolerances from the Parpas thermal management system is also featured on this machine. 

"We made the investment in these extremely precise, high velocity milling machines to increase our capacity and deliver on the higher quality requirements that our aerospace customers expect," concluded Mr. Walsh.