which is challenging current cutting tool technology to maintain performance.
Keeping Cool Providing new solutions for challenging applications like
cutting a turbine disk on dedicated machine tool equipment, high pressure coolant (HPC) and ultra-high pressure cool- ant (UPHC) have helped to make new, difficult-to-machine metals accessible to aerospace industry component manu- facturers. When high-velocity coolants are matched with the correct tool and programming, shops can maintain a high level of productivity and significantly improve cutting speeds, even with complex aerospace components made from HRSAs like nickel alloys and microstructure materi- als. As HPC and UHPC have taken a foothold in aerospace component machining and become indispensable remedies to a serious productivity problem, they have also raised the standard for what defines “high pressure.” As it stands today, HPC is considered to be at a pressure of up to 1160 psi (80 bar), and UHPC is considered in anything higher, up to and including 1400 psi (97 bar). Although the type of coolant used is important for superal-
loy turning applications, it is the way that it’s delivered that is truly critical. Consider Sandvik Coromant’s approach to high-speed coolant. Ideally, the coolant enters via the normal channel directly through the back of the coupling, so there’s no further insulation needed. Te secret to success in using high-precision jet nozzles
is to position them directly at the cutting edge Tis allows the operator to create a parallel laminar flow which helps liſt the chip, reduce contact length and create a hydraulic wedge to actually break the chip. Being that nickel alloy chips are notoriously difficult to break, the advent of HPC has been an important development in machining such material. When it is time to switch to using HPC or UPHC? Tat
depends upon the difficultly of the materials being machined and how slow machines are running. When machining Inco- nel, for example, notch wear is a common problem caused by excessive heat and pressure at the cutting zone. Using UPHC solves the notch wear problem by reducing cutting edge wear and lengthening tool life largely because the temperature is re- duced and the coolant creates that hydraulic wedge to greatly improve chip breaking. Users of HPC and UHPC find that when turning titanium,
a minimum of 30% faster spindle speed is achieved, greatly improving productivity, chip control and tool life. In fact, operators report they can run 40% faster in titanium, and still maintain the same tool life as experienced when using slower spindle speeds.
Machine Tools in New Materials In addition to HPC and UHPC, the machine tool industry
has offered other solutions to keep up with the machining of these new materials. Once such improvement is the accuracy with which components are machined. With the increased number of axes and sophisticated spindles with a toolholder like Coromant Capto, a metal component that was once machined in five steps, or five setups, is now possible in one which drastically reduces errors. Another area of rapid improvement in machine tools is
power and torque. To be able to remove metal quickly and efficiently in some of the new superalloys, like titanium, an operator previously had to run at low spindle speeds. Tis creates a need and drive for high power and torque in the latest machine tools. Tanks to the constant innovation by machine tool builders and cutting tool manufacturers, metals and metalcutting technology still play a central role in aerospace manufacturing, even as aerospace begins to integrate technologies like 3D printing, virtual machining and composites.
Rising Tide Lifts All Ships Gone are the days when a cutting tool company focused
on the cutting tool alone. Forward-looking manufacturers are now welcoming collaboration with the newer technolo- gies that some might not consider to be traditional metal- cutting. Waterjet technology, for instance, which is capable of producing components in near to net shape, is a major focus area for aerospace. Near-net shapes are extremely challenging for the CAM environment, so technological advancements are currently under way to address current difficulties. Tough additive operations and laser sintering have yet to
be used on large structures, they are being used on non- critical components and in prototyping. And laser-assisted machining, a technique where the laser actually heats the material ahead of the cutting edge, is showing very posi- tive results in titanium—and aerospace manufacturing in new metals is driving all of these trends. Clever merging of different technologies, even in a competitive environment, is leading to innovative, never-before-seen techniques and methods. Staying at the forefront of the metalcutting technology
requires a holistic view that addresses the machine tool, the cutting tool, and the material, as well as any alterna- tive machining options or operations. New technologies, both in the production of new materials, and in creating components out of these materials, will determine the path of aerospace manufacturing. Even in an environment full of competing technologies, astute cutting tool manufacturers are making the right partnerships and sharing knowledge in such a way that will both improve productivity, and ensure that metal remains the mainstay for aerospace in the foreseeable future. ✈
Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2014 133
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