In manufacturing of aerospace parts most machined components requires experience in a wide range of fabrication processes, to produce the high-precision parts the industry demands. Of these, milling and turning are the most common machining practice. It allows for complex shapes to be produced rapidly and consistently. As there are many ways to fabricate aerospace components, there are also many ways to machine them, and with the frequent high costs of materials and labor involved, it’s important that aerospace machinists are familiar with the most efficient process for subtractive machining.
For aerospace manufacturing, two of the most common machining processes are turning and milling, performed on lathes and milling centers. In traditional vertical milling, work pieces are mounted on a table which moves on the x-axis and y-axis, while a rotating cutting tool moves in the z-axis to remove material. In tuning, the work piece is mounted in a spindle, which is rotated as a fixed cutting tool is moved along the x-, y- and z- axis to remove material in the desired locations and depth. Lathe turning is a precise process as the workpiece can be held more steadily and metal chips form more easily.
In addition to these basic, 3-axis lathes and milling centers, aerospace manufacturing often needs machines capable of creating complex shapes with up to 5 axis of simultaneous movement. Many lathes and mills can offer a combination of turn/milling with multi-axis machining capabilities. These machines can turning/milling in a single setup, depending on machine tool configuration. This makes it possible to produce a wide range of complex aerospace products with minimal setup, allowing for quicker changeover increasing shop flow efficiencies.
At Intrex Aerospace, we have a wide range of aerospace manufacturing equipment capable of turn/milling (DMG Mori NTX/NTZ series) also with 5-axis simultaneous capabilities. We also have twin spindle/twin turret 6 axis turn/mills (Okuma LT series) with Fanuc robots with load/unloads stations. Our 30+ years of aerospace experience makes us the good choice as a contract manufacturer for many aerospace parts programs.
To learn more about our aerospace manufacturing capabilities, contact Intrex Aerospace today.
