6 – Axis Turn While Burn for Hard to Mill Materials
Production of difficult structures in hard to mill materials
Turbine components for aircraft and power generation require parts having difficult features to produce. For example, turbine blade rotors made of materials difficult to machine, with very accurate contoured shapes, have to be produced. In the past, these structures where milled with 5-axis milling technology.
(In Cooperation with Zimmer + Kreim and SM-Weber)
The Challenge
The power requirements of these turbines have increased more and more. Therefore, 5 axis milling is not the best solution for manufacturing of these components, based on the new design and harder to machine materials. Most of the turbine manufacturer’s use Inconel or similar Nickel based alloy materials. Many of these new contoured shapes using tough materials which can not be hard milled anymore. Long milling tools and tools for special materials like Inconel are very expensive. Often milling is not cost effective anymore. The designers of turbine components are faced with very difficult problems.
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The solution
The best method is sink erosion. For many years, this technology is well-known in the field of Turbine manufacturing. But the difficult shapes and the big depth of cavities require more than a simple erosion machine. It is necessary to use a 2-axis rotary table fully integrated into the machine control. This allows “Turn while Burn” with two axis and with very high precision.
The Example
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These photos show a sample part of a turbine blades and wheel for a local supplier. It is not allowed to show the original part. But as you can see, it is rather easy to produce special cavities with a JS two axis rotary table in combination with a sink erosion machine.
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We are proud that we are allowed to show these photos from Zimmer + Kreim.
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