Aerospace

Five-Axis 15 Mar 2003

Winning The Door Prize

The accuracy of this shop's five-axis gantry-type profiler helped it land the job of machining the engine-bay doors for the F/A-22.

Aerospace 1 Jan 2003

The length by which the tool extends from the toolholder is a variable that can be used to 'tune' the machining process. Contrary to what you may expect, increasing the tool's L:D ratio may reduce chatter and result in more productive milling.

Cutting Tools 15 Dec 2002

Harley Davidson Parts Manufacturer Mills A 'Mile Of Aluminum'

This designer and manufacturer of Harley-Davidson aftermarket motorcycle engines and related components, is using PCD milling to finish engine cases, oil pumps, rocker boxes, inner and outer primary engine covers, and transmission cases and covers.

Aerospace 15 Dec 2002

Flexible Grinding, No Grinder Required

At the heart of this process for lean manufacturing of nickel alloy turbine blades are CNC machining centers equipped with grinding wheels.

Inspection and Measurement 1 Nov 2002

Tight Tolerances And Trial Runs

This contract shop is committed to difficult jobs. The shop often takes on a job without knowing how the part will be made.

Aerospace 15 Sep 2002

Stringer Solution

To reduce cost while improving quality and reproducibility, Airbus UK decided to implement a fully automated process able to machine a stringer complete. The existing production facility was stripped to its steel framework and adapted for the new process.

Milling Tools 15 Jul 2002

Aviation Component Supplier Cuts Setup Time With Productivity Partnership

This shop turned to a tool supplier to help cut milling time on one alloy steel hydraulic body by 63 percent. The success led to a broader Productivity Improvement Program that identified some $87,000 in potential annual savings, and ultimately to a $600,000 payoff by introducing a quick-change modular tooling system.

Aerospace 1 Jul 2002

Curvilinear Tool Paths For Pocket Machining

Recognizing the limitations of traditional approaches to pocketing, mathematicians at The Boeing Company have developed a system for generating tool paths that are better suited to pocketing at high feed rates. The same tool paths have demonstrated their usefulness at lower feed rates as well.

Aerospace 15 Jun 2002

Making Profilers More Productive

The trend in aircraft design is larger monolithic aluminum components that are lighter and stiffer than counterparts that are assembled from smaller pieces. Problem is, the larger, more complex parts necessitate significantly longer machining times on conventional horizontal-table profiling machines, underscoring the need for faster, more powerful profiling machines capable of machining a mix of such components quickly and efficiently.

Five-Axis 15 Jun 2002

New Contours Of Competition

Toronto aerospace shops improve productivity with faster five-axis machining centers.