can see that more material needs to be left behind for subsequent operations. For example, he might see an inadequate surface finish and decide that it would be bet- ter to leave more material in a certain location so that he can come back and put a fine finish on it with Mastercam’s Flow Line toolpath.
Hedging Against Scrap: The workpiece forgings for these parts are expensive, up to $3500 apiece. As of this date, ETJ has manufactured three different configura- tions of C5 flap tracks and has secured DOD approvals for them without scrapping a single forging. Bermudez hedges against scrap by programming the initial cuts high in the forging, leaving plenty of material below it. When he discov- ers unexpected stresses during his iterative develop- ment process, he can regroup and create a different material removal strategy a little deeper in the part. The manu-
facturing of a C-5 wing flap track first article at ETJ has taken up to 80 hours of CNC cutting time with
ETJ relies heavily on Mastercam’s Waterline toolpath that removes material at the same Z-axis height all the way around the part, with the tool dropping down in small increments after each trip around the part. The part takes shape from the top down as if sitting in a tub of water that is gradually lowering to reveal its dimensions.
even more than 80 hours spent performing in-process inspections to assure dimen- sional integrity. That care has paid off because the company has been approved to manufacture three members of this part family and one other has been submitted for approval.
Bermudez said there at are least 40 more versions of this replacement compo- nent and ETJ hopes to be selected to manufacture some or all of them. His com- pany takes the replacement component business very seriously because it is critical to keeping older but still highly functional military vehicles and aircraft in good operating condition. He concluded that small companies like his, with demonstrated expertise in developing these specialized manufacturing processes, are important resources that fill a critical need. ME
For more information from Mastercam/CNC Software Inc., go to
www.master-
cam.com, or phone 860-875-5006.
March 2014 |
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