Mace Aviation fabricates aircraft-grade metallic structures, formed brackets, machined fittings, welded assemblies, skin panels, and integrated substructures, for defense contractors, helicopter programs, and advanced development efforts, in aluminum, titanium, steel, and stainless alloys.
Like our composite work, most of what we build here is for rotorcraft: the MD500 nose mount, Black Hawk nose mount, and MX-25D targeting pod all combine metallic and composite structure. If your program needs a supplier who can source both under one engineering team rather than coordinating two vendors, that’s the specific problem this shop is set up to solve.
Programs we’ve supported include work with Lockheed Martin, NAVAIR, L3Harris, and Stratolaunch, plus Makani Power, Dillon Aero, Air Tractor, and MD Helicopters. Arizona-based, domestic sourcing.
Tooling designed by the same team that designed the part is tooling that works. Mace Aviation’s engineers use CATIA V5 and SolidWorks to develop tool designs that account for material springback, cure shrinkage, demolding geometry, and fixturing requirements before a single pound of material is laid up.
For programs moving from prototype to production, we can develop a tool family that scales with your production rate. Start with a foam prototype tool for first article and progress to a durable carbon or metallic tool for production quantities.
One of the most common tooling problems is that the tool builder has never fabricated the part type the tool is designed for. At Mace Aviation, the same shop that builds the tool also builds the part. When a tool does not demold cleanly or a ply drops at a feature edge, we know because we see it in production.
Provide your material, your timeline, and your application. We'll give you a straight answer.
Tooling for defense composite structures requires documentation and traceability that standard commercial tools do not demand. Our tooling deliverables include tool design drawings, cure cycle records, and dimensional inspection data. Everything is packaged to support your program configuration documentation.
Tooling programs at Mace Aviation typically run alongside the fabrication work the tools support. Aerospace Composite Fabrication and Aerospace Metallic Structures are produced in the same facility, meaning the team that builds the tool also builds the part. For programs starting in early development, Rapid Prototyping often begins with low-cost prototype tooling before transitioning to durable production tools.
We build foam and fiberglass prototype tools, prepreg and wet layup tools, carbon fiber high-temperature tooling (250°F and 350°F systems), metallic match tools, and a range of assembly and inspection fixtures. Tool type is selected based on your production volume, cure process, and schedule requirements.
Yes. This is a significant advantage. Our tool design, fabrication, and composite/metallic manufacturing teams are in the same facility. We routinely develop the tool and produce the parts under the same program, which eliminates the handoff risk between separate tool and part vendors.
Yes. Most of our metallic fabrication work, including the MD500 nose mount and Black Hawk nose mount, is for helicopter platforms, often combined with composite structure from the same program.
One team. Composite and metallic fabrication run out of separate dedicated facilities here, but under the same engineering group, which is the specific advantage for programs where a single structure combines both materials.
Starts with an idea...ends with a product, the sky's the limit.
Cutting edge rapid prototyping, design, engineering and production. Mace Aviation has been our go to for the last 19 years.
Director | L3Harris
Mace Aviation is a unique company that can rapidly design and develop advanced composites for the aerospace industry and then produce these products at a very competitive price. The Mace team is both innovative and practical with decades of experience in the fixed and rotary wing market. They are smart, practical and affordable and very good to work with. Mace is a top notch team.
CEO | MD Helicopters, LLC
