cost when you consider that a large block of structural foam can cost as much as $5000.
Overlaying new geometry function makes it possible to revise an existing program to accommodate design changes without having to reprogram an entirely new part. 2-D Toolpaths + 3-D Positioning allows Blain to present the tool to the part at the most advantageous angle for difficult to access features while using the shortest possible tool for optimal rigidity. Being able to readily adapt pre- sentation of the tool makes it possible to machine very tall workpieces within his machine’s 4' (1.2-m) Z axis. When Blue Force isn’t using the full table of the CNC machining center for a single part, it can create programs that allow three or four different projects to be staged on the machine at the same time. The addition of five-axis CNC machin- ing has improved the spectrum of value Blue Force offers its customers. For ex- ample, the company can do post-machin- ing of composite tools to further tighten up tolerances on critical surfaces. This is something the company would never do if it were outsourcing its machining. “In aerospace everything is about risk reduction,” Bledsoe said. “The only way to get to risk reduction is to build some- thing and test it. The faster we can get out these parts and tools into our customers hands for testing, the more cost-effective our customers can be. Fast turns save our customers a ton of money.” Recently, an aerospace customer wanted to convert a legacy metallic structure to composite. They had ideas on how they wanted to do it and they needed to demonstrate it. They sent Blue Force Technologies bare bones informa- tion about what they wanted to do and Blue Force jumped into its development process, creating several parts each with
different tools so its customer could evaluate them. But Blue Force did more than just ship the customer some parts. “There are a lot of small shops out there that can build things quickly, but we are very good at knowing what we
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High performance tools and lower costs means greater productivity to you.
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