Aerospace Parts Machining
blade milling, one of the Multus platforms has been modi- fied to do five-axis machining for profiling jet engine blades. Okuma’s horizontal machines can be optioned with Turn- Cut functionality to bore tapers using standard off-the-shelf tooling. “Aircraft guys especially like that capability for doing multiple bores on hydraulic actuation systems without chang- ing tools,” said Baldizzi.
Laser Drilling Tiny Holes in Turbine Blades
Processes vying for aircraft engine machining in addition to advanced five-axis machining center technology and multi- tasking machines include recent developments in advanced laser processing, electrical discharge machining (EDM) and high-precision electro-chemical machining (ECM), especially for small hole drilling in turbine blades. At its new plant in Auburn, AL, GE Aviation is using high- power lasers to drill tiny cooling holes in jet engine blades made from heat-resistant superalloys that operate inside the
high-pressure turbine. “This is one of the most critical and so- phisticated components in our jet engines,” said David Joyce, GE Aviation CEO. “They are perfectly shaped aerodynami- cally with laser-drilled cooling holes because they operate at extraordinary temperatures. We consider them a work of art.” GE has invested $75 million in the new plant where laser tools are being developed that can not only drill, but also weld and print. The GRC lab has one of the most powerful lasers in North America at 20 kW. The researchers mounted the laser on a robot and use it to melt metal and develop new welding methods that are more efficient. The scientists tap the laser’s high-energy density to penetrate deep and fast into metal parts.
Increase Productivity
Precision and dynamics at the highest level
CHIRON twin-spindle machining centers are setting productivity records. The simple formula is: twice the number of work- pieces, in the same amount of time. Expand your manufacturing capabilities and achieve 200% throughput when combining CHIRON’s 30 years of multi-spindle application expertise with state-of-the-art, high performance tools, ne-tuned to your speci c machining requirements. As the leader in ve-axis, twin-spindle vertical machining centers, we can provide our customers with the perfect engineered solution for complex machining tasks at a lower cost per piece, with comprehensive after-sales production support.
CHIRON America, Inc.
10950 Withers Cove Park Drive Charlotte, NC 28278 Tel. 704-587-9526
www.chironamerica.com 60
ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | March 2014
Precise ECM Processes Jet Engine Blades, Blisks Electro-chemical machining (ECM) is most commonly associated with deburring applications, especially in injection molding technology. Specially designed ECM tools are used to remove material only at strictly localized areas to remove burrs for the creation of radii or to create an- nular grooves, cavities and other geom- etries. EMAG LLC (Farmington Hills, MI) has introduced an advanced Precise Electro-Chemical Machining (PECM) process that is capable of rough-and- finish machining of both single blades and blisks with the precision that is required for jet engine applications. The rough-machining process is a pre-contouring operation with open tolerances and feed rates of 2-4 mm/ min, while leaving enough material (ap- proximately 0.2 mm) for the subsequent finishing process. The rough-machining operation can be carried out using a variety of tooling strategies optimized to the relevant geometry. Where the single blade may be machined with a double- sided, synchronized operation, the pre-machining of blisk geometries is best done along the blade’s axis, for example. The ECM process has the advantage that tool geometry and suitable scaling of the power supply allow large blades and blisks to be machined at the same feed rates and at the same cycle times
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