a method is disclosed for high volume production of molded dimensionally accurate polymer composite articles comprising three - dimensional carbon fiber reinforcement in high volume . carbon fiber cloth infiltrated with a liquid thermosetting polymer precursor is shaped by application of pressure to urge the cloth against the surface of a mold and then heated while under pressure to cure the polymer precursor into a solid polymeric matrix for the carbon fiber article . mold tooling is formed of suitable iron - nickel alloys and provided with a hard electroless nickel coating on the mold cavity surface . the iron and nickel alloy provides thermal expansion properties generally matched to those of the articles for the molding of dimensionally accurate parts . the nickel alloy coating provides a durable surface to resist abrasion by the carbon fiber cloth without adversely affecting the expansion properties of the mold , and remains adherent to the base metal during the repeated thermal cycling encountered in high volume production .