Aerospace Component Manufacturing & Prototyping

In aviation, a prototype is a functional physical model of a component—such as a radome enclosure, interior panel, or airframe part—built before full production to verify fit, form, and function. At Hill Plastics, we produce aerospace prototypes using CNC-milled wood or polyurethane master patterns formed to exact print specifications, allowing engineers to evaluate design performance and make adjustments before committing to aluminum production tooling.

Rapid prototyping in engineering is the accelerated production of a physical component model directly from design data to enable fast design review and testing. Hill Plastics achieves this through low-cost wood master patterns CNC-machined to drawing specifications, typically ready within a few weeks depending on complexity. This approach dramatically reduces tooling cost and development time compared to traditional hard-tooling methods, making it ideal for aerospace and OEM development programs.

Hill Plastics manufactures a wide range of aerospace plastic components including radome enclosures, custom OEM aircraft interior parts, equipment housings, machine guards, and custom fabricated assemblies. Using thermoforming, vacuum forming, CNC trimming, and plastic fabrication, we produce parts from materials such as High Temperature ABS, UV Resistant ASA/ABS, HDPE, KYDEX, and PETG to meet aviation program specifications.

For aerospace applications, Hill Plastics works with High Temperature ABS, UV Resistant ASA/ABS, KYDEX, HDPE, PETG, and standard ABS. Material selection is based on the specific performance requirements of the component—including impact resistance, tensile strength, chemical resistance, temperature exposure, and environmental conditions. Our engineering team evaluates all factors to recommend the optimal material for each aerospace application.

Aerospace prototype lead times at Hill Plastics are typically a few weeks from design approval, depending on part complexity. A CNC-milled wood or polyurethane master pattern is produced first to print specifications, followed by prototype parts formed on a mold base. This rapid turnaround gives aerospace engineers fast access to physical parts for design review without the extended lead times associated with aluminum production tooling.

Yes. Hill Plastics supports the full production lifecycle—from a single prototype through thousands of production parts—within our 20,000+ sq ft Lewisville, TX facility. Our 4'x7' rotary thermoforming machine runs 2.5 times faster than standard single-station equipment, enabling high-volume, cost-effective aerospace production. All production parts are quality-controlled for appearance and dimensional compliance against print specifications.

Aerospace tooling at Hill Plastics begins with a CNC-milled wood or polyurethane master pattern machined to print specifications—serving as a low-cost prototype mold. After prototype approval and any required design revisions, the master pattern advances to aluminum casting to create the production mold. Tooling services also include drill fixtures, trim fixtures, threaded insert preparation, and CNC trimming to ensure assembly-ready finished parts.

Yes. While Hill Plastics is headquartered in Lewisville, TX near Dallas/DFW, the company serves aerospace and aviation OEM customers throughout the United States. Customers including Southwest Airlines affiliates, Enflite, and LifePort demonstrate the company's ability to support national aerospace programs. We ship production runs and fulfill orders to aviation customers across the country from our Texas manufacturing facility.