30 AEROSPACEMANUFACTURING | MARCh 2010
Composites i Tooling
Knowledge wins the business: The RTC researches its products and then trains its technical sales engineers accordingly
iT’s a hole
NEw wORld
Mike Richardson discovers how Dormer Tools’ new Research Technology Centre
helps its customers out of a hole by providing an understanding of the structure
and machining characteristics of composites.
C
omposite materials are becoming and coatings is carried out to address its strength to weight ratio properties are
increasingly important in the machining issues presented by well understood, the machining of it can
the manufacture of aircraft the laminate structure of composite be difficult. The main focus for the RTC
airframes, due largely to their excellent materials, namely: delamination is to develop the right tooling to machine
strength to weight ratio and corrosion between layers at hole entry/exit; it efficiently and the machining strategies
resistance. And as increasingly more splintering – composite fibres breaking required in terms of educating people
aerospace companies embrace composite off or protruding at hole entry/exit; how to use the tools.”
material technology, the need for this and composite fibres fraying into the Payling claims that if you consider the
specialised knowledge increases. It is hole. The theoretical and practical manufacture of composite parts, around
for this reason that Dormer Tools has work undertaken has already resulted in 60% of machining applications concern
invested in the creation of a Research tangible advances in tooling technology. drilling and holemaking for rivets and
Technology Centre (RTC) at the “The Research Technology Centre special fittings.
Advanced Manufacturing Park, Sheffield, is designed to help us to gain more “A huge portion of the machining
in collaboration with partners such as knowledge and insight about composite involves drilling operations; the
the Advanced Manufacturing Research materials,” begins Dormer’s key account remainder is milling, trimming or edge of
Centre and Sheffield University. manager, aerospace and composites, part profiling and reaming,” he confirms.
Here, extensive development work Ricky Payling. “Although the reasons “Drilling is a big focus for Dormer, but
on cutting tool geometries, substrates behind using carbon fibre composites for we’re also developing new milling cutters
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