The aerospace industry demands high-precision and high-quality components to ensure the safety and reliability of an aircraft. The accuracy of these components is crucial, as even the slightest errors can have catastrophic consequences. This is where precision machining and grinding can play a significant role in ensuring the accuracy and precision of critical aerospace components.
In this post, we’ll explain the power of precision manufacturing in its ability to produce accurate and precise aerospace components and how it can help overcome the most demanding production challenges.
Why Precision Manufacturing is Key for Critical Accuracy
Achieving precise accuracy when manufacturing critical aerospace components is often challenging. However, the costs are too high not to overcome the obstacles. Next, we’ll highlight how precision manufacturing can tackle the thorniest challenges, allowing for accurate aeronautic components that ensure an aircraft’s safety, reliability, and efficiency.
Holds exceptionally tight tolerances
Critical aerospace components often require exceptionally tight tolerances in regard to all aspects of GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing). Unfortunately, these tightly controlled dimensions can intimidate many manufacturers, weeding out those unable to rise to the challenge. For example, in the finishing portion of the grinding operations, some accuracies of true position are measured in the ten-thousandths of an inch.
Excellence in precision machining and grinding techniques, such as CNC cylindrical machines, and other advanced methods, can achieve the exceptionally tight tolerances aerospace components demand. Combined with refined skill and craftsmanship, these processes offer high-precision control, allowing for tight tolerances with minimal variation. Additionally, high-precision machines with advanced measurement and inspection systems ensure that components meet the required tolerances.
Handles advanced materials
Aerospace components are often made from advanced materials that are challenging to machine accurately. These difficult-to-manufacture materials, such as titanium alloys, high-nickel alloys, and many superalloys, are harsh and abrasive, leading to rapid tool wear and deformation during machining. This can result in deviations from the required tolerances, affecting the accuracy of the component.
However, when skilled operators deploy advanced precision machining and grinding techniques, such as high-speed machining and adaptive control, the challenges with advanced materials resolve.
Excels with complex parts
Components with complex or intricate designs often require multiple machining processes to achieve the desired shape and size. This complexity can result in increased production time and costs and a higher likelihood of error during the machining process.
Precision machining and grinding can overcome the challenges posed by complex parts. CNC machines and other advanced machining techniques offer high-precision control over the manufacturing process, allowing for complex geometries with tight tolerances. Operators with advanced knowledge can also deploy specialized techniques to reduce further the failure risk of using multiple processes and machines.
The Proof of Precision Manufacturing’s Power
When an aerospace customer approached us to produce components for highly confidential defense motors, we encountered several challenges, including tight tolerances, part complexity, and part instability. However, our expert team was determined to deliver a precision manufacturing solution that ultimately proved successful. Download the complete aerospace case study to learn how we achieved impressive results that surpassed even our expectations, with less than 1% attrition and part accuracy confirmed down to micron-level tolerances.
While there are many manufacturing challenges to face when producing precisely accurate critical aerospace components, advanced precision manufacturing techniques can overcome them. Choosing a partner with exceptional skill and the latest technologies in this area can help ensure your aircraft’s safety, reliability, and efficiency.
Using advanced machining techniques rooted in fine details, we have consistently produced high-precision aerospace and space exploration parts with a remarkable accuracy of .00010’’. Our unmatched expertise in this field has enabled us to manufacture even the most challenging components, including those with thin walls or intricate features that are difficult to machine. Contact us to learn more about harnessing the power of precision for your next aerospace component – no matter how challenging.
