CNC Machining of Mechanical Components in the Aerospace Industry

Machining in the Aerospace Industry

The success of aerospace operations hinges on the accuracy, precision, and quality of the components used. For this reason, aerospace companies employ advanced manufacturing technologies and processes to ensure their components fully meet their requirements. While new manufacturing methods like 3D printing are rapidly gaining popularity among industry professionals, traditional manufacturing methods such as machining continue to play a critical role in producing aerospace application parts and products.

Aerospace Engineers

Recent advancements in machining techniques and technologies—such as improved CAM programs, application-specific machine tools, enhanced materials and coatings, and better chip control and vibration damping—have significantly transformed how aerospace companies manufacture critical aerospace components. However, sophisticated equipment alone is insufficient. Manufacturers must possess the expertise to overcome the material machining challenges inherent to the aerospace industry.

The following blog post discusses what aerospace component machining entails and the machining challenges faced by aerospace part manufacturers.

What Does Aerospace Component Machining Entail?

Conceptually, machining raw materials into aerospace parts and products seems straightforward. However, transforming materials into functional components that fully meet application specifications and standards requires extensive engineering and operational expertise.

Aerospace Machining

Aerospace manufacturers frequently invest in CAD/CAM software and automated components to achieve better part quality, process control, and production efficiency. However, while these cutting-edge technologies help deliver consistent and reliable output, company personnel must possess the appropriate knowledge and skills to effectively utilize them for efficient part machining.

Many critical aerospace components, such as hot sections of jet engines, are fabricated from nickel-based superalloys. These aerospace materials are characterized by their ability to deliver exceptional performance in demanding environments. This quality stems from their outstanding high-temperature strength, toughness, hardness, oxidation/chemical resistance, creep resistance, and thermal insulation properties. While these characteristics make them an excellent choice for such components, they also render them difficult to machine. Challenges faced by machinists working with nickel-based superalloys include:

High cutting force requirements. The high dynamic shear strength of nickel-based superalloys necessitates significant cutting forces to machine the material into desired parts or products.

Poor thermal conductivity. Since nickel-based superalloys do not readily conduct heat, thermal energy generated during cutting operations transfers to the tool rather than the chips. Consequently, machine tools experience greater wear during these machining operations compared to those involving other materials.

Sensitivity to work hardening. Superalloys are prone to work hardening, increasing the risk of notch wear.

With appropriate engineering and operational expertise, machinists should be able to overcome these challenges and produce machined components suitable for aerospace applications.