Additive manufactured tool assembly

A tool assembly comprising:

• a metal support frame including support beams, cross beams and support mounts, the cross beams connecting between and fixing the support beams in position relative to each other, each of the support beams extending between a first end and a second end, the support mounts being provided at and supporting the support beams at the first and second ends, each of the support beams including a plurality of attachment points along a top thereof, the metal support frame being rigid and used to transport the tool assembly;
• and
• a support tool removably coupled to the metal support frame, the support tool being supported by the metal support frame, the support tool having a faceplate and a supporting grid structure formed with the faceplate as a monolithic structure, the faceplate having a supporting surface at a top of the support tool for supporting a working component, wherein the supporting grid structure engages the support beams at the attachment points such that loads are transferred between the support tool and the metal support frame through the support beams;
• wherein the support tool is removable from the metal support frame such that a different support tool having a different faceplate for supporting a different working component are configured to be assembled to and supported by the metal support frame, the metal support frame defining a common supporting structure for different support tools.

A method of transporting a tool assembly using a support tool having a faceplate and a supporting grid structure formed with the faceplate as a monolithic structure, the faceplate and the supporting grid structure being defined by a series of additive manufactured (AM) layers built on each other with the supporting grid structure being positioned below and supporting the faceplate, the faceplate having a supporting surface at a top of the support tool for supporting a working component, the supporting surface being contoured and defined by a well formed into the AM layers, the method comprising:

• attaching the support tool to a support frame by coupling the supporting grid structure to support beams, wherein the support frame includes the support beams and support mounts, the support mounts supporting the support beams, the support frame being rigid;
• lifting the support frame and moving the support frame to move the support tool;
• and
• using the support frame to maintain dimensional stability of the support tool during transport.

A method of manufacturing a tool assembly used for processing a working component, the method comprising:

• building a support tool on a build surface by an additive manufacturing process, wherein the support tool is built upside-down with a faceplate of the support tool on the build surface, the support tool being built to include a supporting grid structure for the faceplate as a monolithic structure with the faceplate;
• attaching the supporting grid structure to support beams of a support frame such that the support frame rigidly holds the support tool, the support frame including the support beams and support mounts, the support mounts supporting the support beams;
• and
• forming the faceplate of the support tool by removing portions of the faceplate to form a supporting surface for supporting the working component, the working component being processed on the supporting surface.