Parpas XS bridge mills feature X-axis travels up to 18 m ... · PDF fileParpas XS bridge mills feature X-axis travels up to 18 m for machining tools that are used for ... Okuma America

March 2014 | ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 57

That huge backlog of aircraft being re-

corded by the global giants Boeing and

Airbus, along with a lengthening list of

regional aircraft, is stretching the supply

chain’s capabilities to machine the newest

difficult-to-machine materials. Compo-

nents must rotate faster, run hotter, and burn cleaner

for new jet engine designs that are claimed to be

20% more fuel-efficient. Engines and designs that are

structurally lighter are being developed, using advanced

materials that challenge existing manufacturing pro-

cesses. And demand for commercial aircraft isn’t going

away any time soon. The two-billion people flying today

are expected to swell to six billion by 2025, with freight

hauling capacity expanding just as dramatically.

To meet the expected demand, machine tool build-

ers are busy marshaling their resources of machine

Parpas XS bridge mills feature X-axis travels up to 18 m for machining tools that are used for building up composites

for the outer skins of aircraft.

The Aerospace Precision-Machining RaceTo meet increasing demand, machine tool builders are marshaling new resources, technologies and strategies

Jim LorinczSenior Editor

Aerospace Parts Machining

technology, customer-based experience, and process data to

stake out their claims for manufacturing everything from jet

engine components, airframes, structural components,

to landing gear, manufactured from advanced materials.

Technology Data Gathered Locally Shared Globally

Okuma America Corp. (Charlotte, NC) has formalized its

global approach to aerospace machining to position itself to

deal with the onslaught of applications and business growing

out of the aircraft backlog of orders.

“We’ve created a team of people from

our three top markets—US, Europe, and

Japan—who are sharing data, case his-

tory experience, to find the sweet spots

in Okuma’s aerospace technology,” said

Bob Baldizzi, principal engineer. “Our

goal is to customize our machines using

our single-source technologies for ma-

chining jet engine rotating components,

disks, blisks, and hubs,” said Baldizzi.

“Because we have our own control, we can get data out of the actual cutting

dynamics quite effortlessly.”

“When you think of a hub or a disk

on the hot side of an engine with slots

that have to be milled in the periphery

of these disks, it’s absolutely critical

that the machines perform with utmost

accuracy,” said Baldizzi. “Because

we have our own control, we can get

data out of the actual cutting dynamics

quite effortlessly. We’ve had custom-

ers ask us for monitoring capability

that coolant flow sensors, coolant

temperature sensors, and vibration

analysis sensors can provide. We can

package these data-gathering points

together and create part tracking using

a bar code and a part’s serial number

including inspection information for

complete traceability.”

Okuma’s aerospace machine models

include the Multus B750, multifunction

machine with center distances up to 6

m for turning as well as machining. For

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58 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | March 2014


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.

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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as smaller single blades. EMAG’s ECM/PECM technology cov-

ers a power range of up to 20,000 A DC and a pulse rate of

30,000 A. The PO 900 BF machine can accommodate work-

pieces of 900-mm maximum diameter and single blades up to

250-mm tall. These machines can also

be equipped with hydraulic zero-point

clamping systems, variable oscillators

and automatic toolchangers.

Agile Process Combines Grinding, Milling

Makino’s G series grinders are

well suited to grinding blades, vanes,

and mostly inner components of a jet

engine, particularly in the hot section.

“We’ve had a lot of focus around the

Viper grinding process in our G series

machines for processing newer materi-

als like titanium aluminides,” said Billy

Grobe, aero engine technology man-

ager, Makino Inc. (Mason, OH). “These

particular machines can do grinding

and milling, and anything that you can

do on a machining center. They give us

an adaptable machine platform that has

the capability of being able to machine

a blade or vane components complete

in as little as two clampings, eliminat-

ing the stack up error that results from

moving workpieces from machine to

machine,” said Grobe.

At IMTS, Makino introduced its

EDBV3 Fast Hole Drill EDM, a water-

based five-axis machine that is de-

signed for EDMing cooling air holes

and shaped diffuser holes in blade and

vane segments. All EDM drilling on the

EDBV3 is performed fully submerged

under water for higher part quality,

improved stability and up to 10 times

faster processing speeds than conven-

tional technologies. To further improve

productivity, the EDBV3 uses a single-

electrode processing approach, which

avoids the high cost of custom multi-

electrode holders and standardizes the

toolholders with a more flexible and cost-efficient system.

For untended burning of varying cooling hole diameters, the

EDBV3 features automatic tool change (ATC) and automatic

guide change (AGC) systems. A patented electrode set that

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enable 30-second ATC and AGC exchanges.

Making the LEAP in Jet Engine Machining

“Both the GE LEAP and the Pratt Whitney Gear Fan jet en-

gines are designed to have about a 20% better fuel efficiency

burn,” said Scott Walker, president, Mitsui Seiki USA (Franklin

Lakes, NJ). “Pratt & Whitney’s strategy is to use planetary

gears to drive the fan. This allows running the engine hotter

and faster, creating more power. But the materials required

are almost impossible to machine. Some of the hot stage

blades are upwards 28–30% nickel content making them

extremely hard so you have to grind them,” said Walker.

Mitsui Seiki builds both machines to produce integrally

bladed rotors (IBR) and single blades and is developing mill-

ing and grinding strategies to be used to produce Ti-Alumi-

nides. Machine models include the Vertex style machines for

blade and blisk machining and 800-mm and 1-m trunnion-

style machines for machining engine shrouds and casings,

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Mitsui Seiki’s aerospace models include five-axis machining

centers for blade and blisk machining.

which are made from thin-walled Inconel with a lot of holes

and angles that require five-axis machining.

The LEAP has some challenging materials like GE’s Tita-

nium Aluminide. Ti Aluminide is an intermetallic compound

(gamma titanium alloy) that features strong interatomic ties

that makes it resemble ceramics. It’s relative brittleness can

be countered by the addition of elements like niobium and

chromium and while it has half the density of more typi-

cal nickel alloys it is able to withstand heat up to 800° C.

“The strategies for machining these materials still have to be

worked out, especially with the volumes that will be required,”

said Mitsui Seiki's Walker.

“One strategy is to make jet engines like car engines, using

fully automated lines. They don’t want to make them faster

or quicker, they want to make them consistently good and

reliable so they can plan down the production line how many

engines a month they’re going to produce. As a result, you’re

going to see a transition from stand-alone machines to typical

automotive-type processes, which means that the machines

have to be available to accept robotics and gantry cranes for

loading/unloading, measuring, and doing all the processes

with as few people as possible,” said Walker.

Superior Thermal Stability that Controls Tool Tip Accuracy

Parpas America Corp. (Bloomfield Hills, MI) has engi-

neered thermal stability control into its XS overhead gantry

five-axis bridge mills and OMV/Formula horizontal boring mills

for controlling machining accuracy at the tool tip. In effect, all

the machine structures that can affect accuracy are enclosed

and provided with engineered heated and cooled conditioned

air and coolant. The XS bridge mill can have X-axis travels of

22 m or more for machining lay-up molds and tools that are

used to fabricate extremely large composite parts for the outer

skins of aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.

Another machine that uses a similar method of thermal

constancy is the Parpas OMV/Formula.

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Two Formula machines have been in service at Lockheed

Martin Fort Worth for a turnkey solution milling the F-35 fighter

jet center section fuselage. That project employed both the

thermal management system mentioned above for the XS, in

addition to an automated cell with temp

control and air filtering.

“The XS machine is an overhead

gantry machine that has the ability to

encapsulate the entire machine without

putting it into a controlled environment,

including column sides, the bridge which

is the cross rail, the ram and ram saddle

with the exception of the guideways of the

ram [the vertical axis],” said Tom Hagey,

operations manager. “The ram protrudes

down to the table of the machine with the

head. Boxways that are hardened and

ground and exposed in ambient tempera-

tures are gundrilled out and refrigerated

coolant is passed through,” said Hagey.

“Balanced tooling produces excellent surface finishes,

extends tool life, and prevents possible damage

to the spindle.”

“AIP Aerospace Tooling Group has or-

dered four of our machines, one for their

Odyssey division in Michigan; the other

three for their Coast Composites Irvine,

CA facility. They’ll be used to produce the

tools for building composite parts for the

Boeing 787 and Airbus A350. One of the

machines, a dual gantry model has travel

of 59 × 15' [18 × 4.5 m],” said Hagey.

Tool Selection Leads to Predictability

According to Ed Mulvey, technical

support applications engineer, Horn USA

(Franklin, TN), multitasking machining

using tools like Horn’s spline milling and

gear milling tools can complete a gear or

a hub with a spline on it in one setup on the latest multitasking

machines. “The real benefit for the user is that quality of the part

is ensured as handling is minimized. Our tools are especially well

suited to meeting the requirements of tough grooving that are

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required on aerospace parts. All of our tools are diameter specific

for the bore size and depth of groove,” said Mulvey.

“The secret of effective machining is in getting the best

combination of substrate, cutting edge and coating, espe-

cially for applications involving difficult-to-machine materials,

like Inconel, titanium, high-end stainless, precipitation stain-

less, cobalt alloys and Stellite. Except for some of the newer

hardenable titaniums, we don’t think of titanium as being

as difficult to machine as in the past,”

said Mulvey.

“Because all of these materials have

low machinability ratings, we strive for

predictability in tool life. We provide a

quality tool so that the customer knows

how often he has to change the insert

on a consistent basis. It helps that most

machines today have a tool manage-

ment system that will tell the operator

when it’s time to change the insert so

that valuable time isn’t lost in produc-

tion,” said Mulvey. “A recent example

is one customer who is machining a

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EMAG LLCPh: 248-477-7440

Web site: www.emag.com

GE AviationPh: 877-432-3272

Web site: www.geaviation.com

Haimer USAPh: 630-833-1500

Web site: www.haimer-usa.com

Horn USA Inc.Ph: 615-771-4100

Web site: www.hornusa.com

Makino Inc.Ph: 513-573-7200

Web site: www.makino.com

Mitsui Seiki (USA) Inc.Ph: 201-337-1300

Web site: www.mitsuiseiki.com

Okuma America Corp.Ph: 704-588-7000

Web site: www.okuma.com

Parpas America Corp.Ph: 248-753-6000

Web site: www.parpasamerica.com

Want More Information?

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had to be stopped mid-cycle to allow the material to cool. Our

free cutting geometry in combination with the coating allowed

non-stop production. This custom solution reduced the scrap

rate and improved the overall component quality.”

Toolholding Technologies Ensure Quality Results

Haimer USA (Villa Park, IL) offers three toolholding

technologies that are designed to produce quality machining

results, especially in high-speed machining applications. “The

first is our balancing equipment that is designed to balance

tooling assemblies before they go into the machine,” said

Brendt Holden, president. “A tooling assembly includes the

toolholder with the cutting tool and all accessories such as

pull-studs, nuts, collets, face-mill cutters, inserts, etc. Balanc-

ing the complete assembly allows the machine to run fast,

especially in aluminum machining, without creating vibration

at the cutting edge. Balanced tooling produces excellent sur-

face finishes, extends tool life, and prevents possible damage

to the spindle,” said Holden.

The second technology is Cool Flash which is integrated

into Haimer’s Power Shrink chuck with Cool Jet. “Cool Flash

overcomes the tendency of coolant to flare out away from the

cutting zone in high-speed applications. It is especially effec-

tive in aluminum structural machining where a lot of chips are

created or in deep milling applications on vanes where it’s dif-

ficult to remove chips in jet engine machining,” said Holden.

“Cool Flash allows the coolant to come around the cutting

tool where it is redirected back to the shank of the cutting tool

where it follows the shank of the tool with a high pressure to

cutting zone.” The third technology is the Safe Lock which

is designed to prevent tools, principally high helix end mills,

from being pulled out of the holder in high-speed structural

aluminum machining or in titanium roughing applications. ME

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Parpas XS bridge mills feature X-axis travels up to 18 m ... · PDF fileParpas XS bridge mills feature X-axis travels up to 18 m for machining tools that are used for ... Okuma America