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addition, the ball end on the tip of the conical barrel cutter can be used to clean fillets and blend surfaces, using the same cutter. Machining Strategies for Aerospace Engine Components Engine components are generally classified into two categories – multi-blade and single-blade. The difference is that multi-blade components are produced as a monolithic shape from one stock while single-blade components are machined as individual airfoils with mechanical attachment features. These are then mechanically assembled to make engine components. Engine components face high temperatures and stresses and potential impact, so materials like titanium, steel and superalloys are used. An assembled turbine or compressor from machined single blades and a hub disk weighs more than a one-piece compressor or turbine blisk (bladed disk). As engine performance is directly related to its weight, blisks have become more common than single blades in recent generations of engines. Single-blade finishing is historically performed with ball nose endmills, especially on
twisted surfaces and near attachment platforms. Open areas of the blade surface are often cut with a tilted bull-nose cutter. This cutting style gives a large effective radius of curvature and can produce a fine surface finish with fewer passes compared to a ball-nose endmill. As with structural components, recent developments with conical barrel cutters further extend the benefits of using a large contact radius with a stable and controlled machining process. Finishing of multi-blade components raises additional challenges due to tight blade spacing and requirements for high aspect ratio cutters. The CAM software must possess robust collision detection and avoidance techniques to find a solution to the close spacing between blades. CAM software has a large influence over machine tool performance, so users can gain benefits by selecting the proper CAM software for the application at hand. The most advantageous CAM software is continually evolving with each new version release to offer enhancements and innovations which keep up with the requirements of aerospace manufacturing. n
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Machinery & Manufacturing 50
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