Metal forming professionals provide aerospace manufacturers with specialized equipment and expertise required for customized processes.
Aerospace heavy metal forming requires hydraulic presses of 10,000 tons or more to bend, form, bond or straighten aluminum, titanium, and special alloys into fuselages, spars, and fuselages. Specializing in the production of floor machines-stretch forming presses, hot stretch straightening machines, contour rolls, superplastic forming presses, diffusion bonding presses, powder metal pressing presses-applying pressures of specific processes according to aerospace specifications And temperature manufacturing parts.
These customized machines require precise control and processes to reliably achieve the specified end product. Therefore, cooperation with manufacturers with deep expertise in metal forming is critical to success.
“When precise control of position, axis synchronization, force and heat is critical to the forging/forming process, custom-designed machines and control solutions are often required,” said Bill Goodwin, vice president of sales and engineering. Erie Press Systems is a company that manufactures custom engineered hydraulic presses for metal forming, stretch forming, composite compression forming, cold extrusion and forging. The Park Ohio subsidiary is part of Ajax-CECO-Erie Press. With decades of experience in aerospace applications by Yili Press, Goodwin reviewed some basic custom metal forming equipment.
Compared with pure bending and other types of metal forming, stretch forming has several advantages. The stretch-wrap forming machine stretches the metal to its elastic limit, and then winds the part on the forming mold, thereby increasing the yield strength of the metal and producing a stronger part. The stretch forming machine keeps the metal under constant tension throughout the process, minimizing canning or buckling defects.
The stretch forming machine can also complete the task in one step, thereby saving time and money. For some parts, stretch forming can achieve production runs that would otherwise be impossible.
Goodwin added that the sheet stretch forming machine is designed to meet all tonnage, length and width specifications. Historically, these machines have been used to stretch and form aluminum fuselages, wings and hood panels. The process has evolved to form outer panels for other aerospace and commercial rocket applications. In addition, the specially modified high-tonnage stretch forming machine can manufacture the main structural support beams for large commercial aircraft. The heavy cross-section beam material is clamped in specially designed jaws, stretched to its yield point, and then bent on a mold that follows the curvature of the plane.
Extrusion and stretch forming was developed in the aviation industry for bending and forming complex aluminum, titanium and stainless steel structural parts, which are challenging when using other processes. Due to high-precision and repeatable parts production, extrusion stretch forming machines have also been widely recognized in structural applications in other industries.
"If bent, aluminum tends to wrinkle. However, the stretch forming process can eliminate these defects, because the first step is to stretch the part to yield, and then bend it so that you can bend the extruded part without lifting Wrinkle," Goodwin said.
High-productivity stretch forming uses aluminum stretch forming (ASF) machines, using CNC-controlled AC servo motor technology, combined with high-resolution load cells and rigidly guided low-friction parts to optimize speed and accuracy. The ASF machine is ideal for stretching and forming extrusions, with a total bending angle of up to 90°.
The ASF machine uses two vertically mounted jaw bracket assemblies to apply full stretching and forming forces to the part to rest against the fixed mold. The clamping jaw assembly automatically centers and clamps the workpiece, programmed tangent tracking, joins the support mandrel to the hollow extrusion, and provides an inertia suppression system to prevent damage to the machine when the part breaks during the molding process.
The hot stretch straightening machine heats, stretches and straightens the long extruded tube or flat plate through resistance heating to avoid bending problems during the cooling process of the heated extruded part. Using a hot stretch straightening machine, the operator gradually reduces the pressure as the extruded long metal part cools, thereby maintaining the tensile load on the part to maintain straightness.
The contour roll forming machine is specially designed for stringers and frames. It can be bent and twisted in three planes and can theoretically achieve unlimited length. These multi-axis bending machines can manufacture circular structural aircraft parts, such as parts in the fuselage. Usually, a straight line passes through the machine and bends into the desired shape.
The superplastic forming (SPF) machine made by Erie Press Systems can be with or without diffusion bonding. SPF is developed as an advanced molding process for complex and large parts and structures that are difficult to manufacture by traditional molding. Commonly used SPF materials are titanium, aluminum, stainless steel and magnesium alloys. SPF requires a temperature between 1,400°F and 1,850°F to make titanium and stainless steel malleable (aluminum is about 1,000°F to 1,100°F).
When in a superplastic state, the pressure from an inert gas (mainly argon) can form metal, which makes it a useful method for producing complex shapes from materials that are difficult to form. Used in the manufacture of engine blades, SPF is now used in various applications.
The company's thermoforming and SPF presses implement multi-zone heating to achieve precise thermal control, uniform platen heating, and consistent part production.
Goodwin explained that diffusion bonding requires two thin sheets of material, and they are bonded together into a uniform sheet through a long heat and pressure cycle. The joined metal parts undergo only microscopic deformation.
Isothermal forging supports the forging of super alloys and other materials with low forgeability. The mechanical properties of some metals may vary greatly within a small temperature range, so isothermal forging can eliminate the problems associated with the use of these materials, especially complex parts. This process is also called hot die forging.
Isothermal forging is a thermal processing process that attempts to maintain the workpiece at its highest temperature during the entire operation by heating the mold to or slightly below the temperature of the starting workpiece. The force exerted by the mold forms the part, eliminates the cooling of the workpiece between the working interface of the mold, and greatly improves the flow characteristics of the metal. Isothermal forging may or may not be performed in a vacuum.
"These are usually large-tonnage machines and must move over a wide range of speeds, including speeds as low as 0.5 millimeters per minute, to generate the precise strain rate curves required to form these parts," Goodwin explained.
Powder compaction equipment supports mixed metals and achieves certain characteristics by taking raw materials and turning them into mixed powders. After the hydraulic press compacts the powder to a specific force, the powder is heated and forged to form a special mixed piece.
"With powder compaction, aerospace manufacturers spin the powdered material at thousands of revolutions per minute while heating it to a specified temperature. This process produces two different metals: one is a low-cost metal, and the other is A very costly metal. The process then presses the two layers of powder together and uses it as a raw material to forge the final multilayer tablet," Goodwin explained.
Ajax-CECO-Erie Press offers a variety of designs to suit the compaction process of powdered metals, ceramics and carbon anodes.
As aerospace manufacturers put forward all the requirements for lighter, stronger materials and higher efficiency, innovation must be a priority, even in the field of metal forming.
Having a partner who can provide a wide range of specialization, high-tonnage machinery, and customization capabilities is critical to continued success. As metal forming suppliers such as Ajax-CECO-Erie Press continue to invest in innovation, this partnership can also provide advantages in future applications.
"In the next 5 to 10 years, we expect that electric presses driven by geared servo motors and larger roller screws will become more and more important for aerospace manufacturers to any applications that are sensitive to oil spills or require precise control. It’s becoming more and more important. So we are developing this technology today,” Goodwin concluded.
About the author: Del Williams is a technical writer based in Torrance, California.
Metrology plays a key role in product development plans based on micromolding.
The industry’s perception of optical metrology systems has recently changed, and the adoption rate has increased significantly, largely due to its ability to measure without damaging the surfaces or features of precision components. However, compared with contact systems, optical metrology also promotes manufacturing automation due to its inherent speed, and because it can quickly perform full-field measurements instead of focusing on one specific part feature at a time.
Cooperating with metering suppliers in this way is the future and will ensure that technology evolves as the market and customer needs evolve.
In every quotation issued by a micro-mold manufacturer, measurement should be a core consideration. If a micro-mold manufacturer can manufacture steel micro-tools and mold parts, they will eventually need to measure the resulting workpiece. Process development and validation must include measurement development and validation in any customer quotation. Considering the motto, "If you can't measure it, you can't make it", the basic role of metrology in successful, cost-effective, and punctual product development is obvious.
Measuring development time and gage repeatability and reproducibility (Gage R&R) are critical and extremely valuable for micro-molding customers. Micro-molding companies should work closely with customers to model, print interpretation, and design for manufacturing (DFM)-more accurate The design is used for micromolding (DfMM)-during product development. The measurement process must be evaluated and verified because the molding process is qualified. The metrology department can improve customer designs, re-size and print, and make better use of geometric dimensions and tolerance (GD&T) data to make part designs easier to shape and measure, and to provide users with better performance.
In micromolding, metrology and verification issues can be challenging. Complex areas include part size, part fixation, printing tolerances and surface roughness. Part size is a key challenge. The size of the micro-molded part can be measured in microns, and its features are only visible at a magnification of 10 times (or greater). Such small part sizes require non-contact metrology methods such as vision (camera), laser and white light interferometry.
It is also challenging to use programming or manual measurement process to fix components to achieve repeatable and repeatable measurement of small items. Accumold designs and manufactures custom jigs made of steel or 3D plastic to hold parts in different directions and ensure that all features can be measured.
Due to the small size and critical finish requirements, surface roughness is also difficult. Non-contact metrology tools are essential for such applications, as tactile tools can compromise surface integrity.
The best use of metering in advanced manufacturing is in the laboratory or in the process. A key driver of the transition from laboratory to process is the desire for faster data collection and, more importantly, the ability to make decisions faster.
Accumold prefers to measure as close as possible to actual production (in-process) conditions. The company continuously evaluates metrology requirements during the development of specific products, including the number of key features/dimensions, tolerance requirements, part geometry, available measurement systems (laboratory and in-process), estimated part volume/run rate, part cost, if If the measurement is delayed, scrap may occur.
Sometimes it is important to work with customers to determine key features/dimensions, develop measurement procedures, and verify measurement methods using repeatable and reproducible fixtures and procedures. Other projects may require the purchase of repetitive measuring machines and the deployment of machines, fixtures, procedures, and well-trained machine operators to collect data in the production room.
However, some items may require laboratory measurements. Therefore, it is important to establish the parts handling and delivery process, the priority of part measurement (first-in, first-out, customer commitment date, etc.), measurement methods (fixtures, machines, procedures, manuals), data collection and reporting results to production.
All metrology requirements, including equipment (fixtures, machines), methods (procedures, manual), data collection (automatic, manual), and reports (automatic, email, data loading) are included in the part-specific control plan.
Current measurement tools are far superior to tools available 10 years ago. Today's technology provides valuable insights into the demanding micro tools and parts needed to meet customer needs. Metrology equipment and skills can measure the steel details and part features/dimensions in the mold to ensure that the parts meet the printing tolerances and ensure that the process is competent. Intensive experimental design, pressure operation, operation verification, and production verification runs evaluate dimensional capabilities to process capabilities and performance indicators, whether they come from technical partners or customers. Metering equipment and expertise can provide data and instant feedback to determine whether the steel in the mold is acceptable or whether adjustments are needed.
Metrology technology is constantly evolving, and it is very important to actively evaluate new technologies through online/onsite or remote demonstrations. Automatic visual inspection (AVI) is used in printing presses, robots and metering equipment. Non-contact vision and laser measurement capabilities and white light interferometer equipment can measure microscopic features and surface roughness. The expertise and experience of design, mold and automation construction, production/process and quality assurance personnel are the keys to success.
In a vertically integrated micromolding company, the core role of metrology is the core of the overall product development success. Metrology is now a powerful enabling technology that plays a key role in the timely, cost-effective production of components with strict specifications.
About the author: Dave O'Leary is Accumold's Quality Director. You can contact him at doleary@accu-mold.com or 515.964.5741.
For the success of micro-molding, it is important for customers to cooperate with competent micro-molding partners. Accumold is a vertically integrated company, from the start of quotation to design for manufacturing (DFM), design for micro-molding (DfMM) evaluation, tool design and construction, automated design and construction, automated visual inspection design and programming, and steel and part measurement. The company Attach importance to being able to internally control tool design and construction, molding and process verification in order to cooperate with customers and quickly respond to project changes. By doing this, the user can control the priority without relying on a third party.
Accumold uses optical measurement products (OGP) multi-sensor devices with vision, laser and touch trigger functions, and uses X, Y, and Z coordinates to measure the dimensions of mold steel and parts; GD&T-uses OGP's MeasureMind 3D software (and uses OGP Zone3 Compare 3D models of software parts); and ZYGO coherent scanning interferometer, used to measure fine details, including Z height, 3D surface finish and lens size. The company sometimes uses laser, vision, and white light measurement techniques for individual parts based on part size, feature size, surface finish requirements, and tolerance limits—usually measuring parts with tolerances less than 10μm.
Accumold uses ZYGO optical profilers: NewView 7300 and NewView 8300. Both machines measure the 3D surface roughness, the lens characteristics of the aspheric lens equation, and the critical Z height dimension. The data obtained from ZYGO equipment is essential to prove that our molding and measurement capabilities can meet customer requirements. The data in the ZYGO tool can also be shared with customers so that they can perform their own analysis in other software such as MATLAB or MountainsMap.
ZYGO can accurately measure parts made of transparent and/or high-temperature resin for molding lenses. Accumold also collaborated with ZYGO to develop a lens-specific application in the Mx software, which collects and analyzes data from a coherent scanning interferometer. Accumold shared part design details, mold details, current measurement methods, and participated in an online conference to discuss the challenges of lens aspheric measurement.
Accumold also cooperated with ZYGO to develop several specific measurement procedures on the NewView 7300, which are used today for internal training and new procedure development.
Aerospace Manufacturing and Design welcomes all airplane enthusiasts to join the fun and name the airplane! A new aircraft will be launched in each issue. Given a photo and a prompt box, readers are encouraged to guess the aircraft being described and submit their answers to www.AerospaceManufacturingAndDesign.com/Form/NameThatPlane.
Robert J. Tafel, Engineering Manager, York Precision Machinery and Hydraulics LLC, York, Pennsylvania
How long have you been in the aerospace business?
How did you become interested in aircraft?
My father and uncle served in the army during World War II. When I was young, I became interested in the aircraft used at the time.
What is your favorite airplane and why?
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. When designing and developing an aircraft, the aircraft and its capabilities are a unique engineering achievement.
Chris Essenburg, Mechanical Engineer, Thermotron Industries, Holland, Michigan
James Rebernick, designer, ATI Forged Products, Cudahy, Wisconsin
To participate in the competition, please visit www.AerospaceManufacturingAndDesign.com/Form/NameThatPlane and fill in the provided entry form. Only the completed form is eligible. Provides a complete set of rules.
Have fun and good luck!
The registration deadline for this contest is October 8, 2021. The winners will be announced in the November-December 2021 issue.
Enter now and win your high-quality copy of the desktop plane!
Recently, someone asked me a few questions about hole processing. Many people care about the best method to use. Should I use a boring bar, a multi-barrel boring head, a reamer, or what is the best way to complete the part?
As you know, many things will help determine the answer. We need to look at the amount of inventory being removed, the finish required, the total tolerances we must use, the machines we can use to produce the parts, and any fixture issues that may exist.
The most common mistake I see from customers is the aspect ratio (L:D) used when boring the part. The best practice is to use the largest diameter boring bar suitable for the hole. This will also provide you with maximum stiffness and eliminate tool deflection. The second consideration is the depth of the hole and the diameter of the rebar. By using larger diameter steel bars, you will also gain greater depth.
Tool suppliers offer a wide range of boring tools. Most of them provide tools with a diameter adjustment function and at least two cutting heads. This type of tool can maximize the removal of metal while providing more stable cutting conditions to help eliminate tool deflection. Single-head or cavity boring bars offer a variety of cavity designs, allowing you to change the geometry of the cutting insert and provide the flexibility required to produce parts. Most of these tools use steel or carbide handles with replaceable blades.
Another area of concern is the machine tool you will use. Usually, we see that the machine is too small or lacks the horsepower to produce the parts. In these cases, we must first consider the safety of operators and ensure that we prevent processing parts that are too large for our machines.
So, what is the answer to our initial question? There is no answer. There are many variables. All questions must be answered to determine the best way to drill the part. In some cases, reaming may be the best method, a double-head boring bar may be the best, or an ordinary single-head boring bar may be the answer. However, we should always look at our L:D ratio and maximize the diameter of the boring bar we are using. If possible, consider removing chips and using coolant that runs through the tool to help clean the chips.
I recommend working with your tool supplier. They have application expertise and can help guide you in choosing the right tool. Go ahead and live a boring life!
CMR Consultant miker2468@aol.com
Do you have a specific topic or tool challenge that you want to solve? Email me so that I can address them in future columns.
Mike Ramsey, President of CMR Consulting, retired from Kennametal Inc. after 39 years in sales and marketing to serve as Vice President of Sales for the Global Machine Tool Industry. You can contact him at miker2468@aol.com.
Coolant and lubrication filter system; toggle clamp; key defect detection system; updated measurement software; fully automatic 6-sided processing.
The AcuGrind pneumatic chuck has a built-in drive cylinder (no hydraulic cylinder is needed) to achieve extremely high tolerances in turning and grinding applications.
AcuGrind is specially designed to handle precise finishing, providing 0.000078" accuracy, which is ideal for micro parts that require extremely high tolerances and machining abrasive materials such as powdered metal or cemented carbide. AcuGrind can use boring rings and pins to perform ID and OD clamping The shell-hardened base jaws provide additional rigidity and repeatability within 0.002 mm.
AcuGrind is available from 80mm to 250mm, as part of the Proofline series of chucks, completely sealed, reducing overall maintenance. Permanently lubricated, these oil-filled precision chucks help maintain consistent clamping force. Other advantages include surface-hardened body and internal parts, with high resistance and longer service life.
The Vito filter series provide high efficiency and use all types of oil-based and water-based lubricants.
The Vito filter is placed in the basin, where it automatically filters the liquid in a pulse filtration cycle and ventilates the water-based coolant to avoid the formation of a surface layer of miscellaneous oil. Using a cellulose filter, pressure flow filtration can remove any debris and solids in the cooling lubricant. It filters the coolant while the machine is running to ensure that the process of maintaining the lubricant is smooth enough.
The filter reduces the operating cost of the tool, improves the quality of the lubricant to obtain more accurate workpieces and better cooling, and reduces the maintenance of the machining center.
The extended range of True-Lok toggle clamps includes four versions with additional locking mechanisms for added safety. The new feature ensures that the toggle clamp will remain in the closed/compressed position for maximum safety in workpiece clamping applications. In addition, it also ensures that the clamp remains in the loose/open position to facilitate parts replacement and operator convenience.
True-Lok toggle clamps are available with steel or stainless steel flange bases and are suitable for many applications in many industries. The auxiliary lever that drives this function is designed for thousands of cycles and can be easily accessed and used by the operator. The weight range is up to 7,700 pounds. A total of 25 new products are provided.
The HPX-DR 2329 GK detector has a resolution of 75 µm, which provides powerful image capture for the detection of small defects. It is suitable for inspecting critical parts and components to identify defects, including small cracks, voids and defects.
The detector is designed to meet strict industry standards with high resolution. It also expands the types of detectable parts and improves the accuracy of each inspection.
Calypso 2021 software includes more than 60 new features and improvements, significantly improving quality control performance. Through the improved mathematical algorithm, the measurement result is 20 times faster.
O-Inspect reduces unnecessary travel paths and increases the possibility of classifying measurement elements, thereby significantly speeding up the optical measurement process. It can also combine as many measurement elements as possible into one camera position, automatically determine according to the preset zoom level, and optimize the measurement time by up to 270%.
The improvement of the programming process can save extra time. For example, Zeiss simplified the workflow for displaying deviation signs and introduced many improvements for importing product and manufacturing information (PMI).
The 715 series machining center is designed for complete machining of all six faces of complex parts, and is installed between the vertical Chiron FZ 08 S turning and milling machining center and the Stama MT 733 machining center. It includes parts handling automation and storage.
The part size ranges from bars up to 65 mm or chuck parts up to 200 mm, and the maximum weight is 20 kg. Workpiece weight.
The machine platform also integrates digital systems in the Chiron SmartLine product portfolio, including automatic condition monitoring, integrated machine and process diagnosis, machining simulation, preventive machine protection in each operation mode, remote diagnosis and maintenance, and intuitive operation.