CNC Machining Productivity

CNC Machining Productivity

Given the existing state of the market place, rarely has it been far more crucial for makers to focus on maximising the productivity and efficiency of every CNC machining procedure. This of course applies to all market sectors, but coupled with the trend for aircraft OEMs to seek greater worth than ever from their suppliers in the race to attain improved market share, the situation becomes even a lot more pertinent to aerospace CNC machining. With the priorities for airframes possessing to be primarily weight and safety, another expanding trend is for aerospace designers to produce plans that combine as several distinct parts as is feasible inside single components.

The only downside here is the inherent component complexity this creates, which in turn leads to a reliance on multiple machining operations. To combat this difficulty, the initial thrust of machining optimisation at numerous companies in the aerospace supply chain centres on the machine tool itself. Right here, machine tool makers have created great strides in current years, bringing to market a number of machines that offer you the integration of several functions, such as sub-processes (such as probing and balancing), permitting the workpiece to be completed on a single machine with as handful of set-ups and tool alterations as achievable.

Price savings in aerospace CNC machining.

Additional analysis into aerospace elements has shown that the application of high pressure coolant offers substantial rewards. Applying coolant at just 70 bar, for instance, gives an average 20% improve in speed and 50% increase in tool life, employing only elements and functions that are regular on numerous machines. Ultra high pressures (up to 1,000 bar) are even more powerful but further fixturing is necessary. Appropriate nozzle positioning and sighting have considerable effects on productivity, chip handling and the elimination of the peening process to provide clear cost savings, particularly when machining vital aerospace materials such as Ti6Al4V. With hard components, heat tends to exit by means of the insert rather than the workpiece. With particular inserts this has limited effect when they are new, but creates an enormous dilemma as they wear. Hence the need to accurately predict tool life has in no way been a lot more vital.

Uncontrolled tool life can lead to massive increases in surface tensile stresses, compressive sub-surface layer size, depth of plastic deformation and strain hardening, especially at higher cutting speeds. Intermediate stage machining (ISM), which as the supply of the greatest production fees gives maximum scope for productivity improvements – throughout ISM up to 80% of metal is removed when turning heat resistant superalloys (HRSAs).