Aerospace & Defense Technology - October 2022 - 19

Aerospace Manufacturing
leading to a 198% productivity increase
for the customer. The solution has
also been applied to blisks as well as
turbine disks and casings, machining
blades, and weight reduction scallops.
Other solutions for optimized aerospace
component machining include
next-generation turning grades, in both
carbide and polycrystalline cubic boron
nitride (CBN), which are designed for
the high-speed finish turning of components
made from ISO S materials. The
grades are complemented by next-generation
ceramic rough turning grades
designed for high performance. For
example, the latest finishing grades
from Sandvik Coromant are being tested
and optimized to deliver consistent
surface integrity that's demanded by
aerospace engine manufacturers, while
also producing components consistently
to tight tolerances.
The Future
As outlined in the UK Innovation
Strategy report, global hubs for innovation
will continue to see " companies
of all sizes creating breakthrough
new products, becoming more efficient
and scaling to full growth, all
with an eye to the global, as well as
domestic, market. "
HRSA components, such as blisks,
will also become more prevalent in
tomorrow's sustainable aircraft. One of
the leading aerospace manufacturers
that Sandvik Coromant works with is
developing larger engines, to achieve
super fuel-efficient designs that run
on biofuels. Other key innovations
include flexible resin-transfer molded
blades that are designed to untwist as
the fan's rotational speed increases.
These technologies are already prevalent
in mid-sized, single-aisle planes
such as the Airbus A321.
Other future predictions include one
that mid-sized aircraft will be the first to
run on hydrogen, while smaller domestic
planes will drive electric ambitions.
There are now many small start-up
companies that produce smaller electric
engines for aircraft, and CNBC reports
that the market for flying cars - known
as electric air taxis - could rise to $1.5
trillion globally by 2040. There might
even be regionalized landing points in
Aerospace & Defense Technology, October 2022
For turbine blisks that require high-feed side milling, small radial engagement allows for increased cutting
speed, feed and cutting depth due to decreased heat, chip thickness and radial forces.
Chip evacuation and heat are specific challenges when machining titanium. A solid version end mill tool
(left) is designed for normal chip evacuation conditions, while a second version (right) features internal
coolant and a cooling booster for optimum swarf and temperature control.
the future. For instance, passengers may
board a hydrogen plane to travel more
locally, say around Europe, or a biofuel
plane to fly further afield to a location
like the United States.
Machining aerospace engine components
isn't a one-size-fits-all approach.
There is an opportunity to carefully
consider every detail, from base
material, to component, to feature,
to process, to the individual tool. At
the component level, the applications
mentioned above will rely on next-generation
materials which require specialmobilityengineeringtech.com
ized
tooling solutions and extensive
machining process and application
knowledge to ensure that tomorrow's
sustainable aircraft become reality for
aerospace's leading manufacturers, as
well as for people and the planet.
This article was written by Steve
Weston, Industry and Tech Center Manager
- Aerospace; and Bill Durow, Manager
- Global Project Office for Aerospace,
Space and Defense; Sandvik Coromant
(Mebane, NC). For more information, go
to https://www.sandvik.coromant.com.
19

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Aerospace & Defense Technology - October 2022

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