RAISING PRODUCTIVITY IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
Challenge: How to meet the demands of machining titanium airframe components? Solution: Employ tailored tooling solutions that can increase production rates and lower costs.
In the aerospace industry’s drive to reduce weight and total costs, titanium alloys are commonly used for major components within airframes, engines and landing gear, a practice that has grown steadily since the 1960s in both commercial and military airframes. As well as meeting the challenges of titanium, which is difficult to machine, aircraft component manufacturers want to make considerable improvements in productivity to cut overall costs.
Airframe structural components range from complex forged wing structures to landing gear components, as well small critical fasteners, springs and hydraulic tubing. Trends in airframe components have moved to single large structures rather than assemblies, and this demands more productive and stable machining processes. Frame components often contain features such as deep pockets, and producing these pockets requires stable, anti-vibration machining processes. Producing deep pockets often requires tools for machining with long gauge lengths.
Sandvik Coromant, with its comprehensive experience of aerospace component machining, has developed a range of tooling solutions such as the CoroMill 390® with integrated Silent Tools™ technology that contribute to improved productivity while securing optimal functionality, thus reducing production costs when machining with long gauge lengths. Silent Tools incorporate a unique dampening technology that cuts potentially damaging vibrations that may affect the quality of the machining process.
