The extremely high level of precision needed within the aerospace industry makes CNC machining a suitable manufacturing process for the sector. The capability of this process to achieve very tight tolerances for metal and plastic parts allows it to offer robust solutions in the industry. This article provides you a complete guide to aerospace machining and its importance.
What is Aerospace CNC Machining?
This CNC machining process involves creating CNC machining aerospace parts to assemble and maintain aircraft and space shuttles. Aerospace CNC machining companies use kits, components, and assemblies which are essential for crafts used in the aerospace industry. Aircraft parts, ranging from bushings, hinges, clamps, or other custom parts, need to come with high-quality materials. This is to ensure that these aircraft components function properly without involving any form of danger. This is why Titanium and Kovar are popular as the most used metals for aerospace components. Other materials may include aluminum, stainless steel, copper, bronze, and some types of plastic.Importance of Precision in the Aerospace Industry
Precision machining is a vital aspect of the aerospace industry. This industry has loads of high production standards for CNC machining aerospace parts and more stringent safety controls.Applications of Aerospace CNC Machining
There are so many applications of CNC machining across different industries. An aircraft comes with millions of components. Therefore, there are many manufacturing processes involved in their production. These processes range from sheet metal fabrication and injection molding to advanced manufacturing processes like aerospace CNC machining and 3D printing.
Aerospace CNC Machining Use in Aviation
Whether it is cargo planes, fighter jets, or passenger airlines, accuracy is an important component of aircraft construction. These accuracy requirements extend to every part of an aircraft’s production. It does not leave out anything, be it the innermost layer or the outer shell. For example, an airplane’s engine needs to keep it in the air for as long as it is in flight. As an implication, the engine must adequately process and use fuel. CNC machining helps to make some of the seemingly insignificant parts vital to the engine’s running. When you also consider the cockpit, you will notice the importance of aerospace machining. Some small, connected components form a navigational system that helps a plane move from one point to another. CNC machining can help create these CNC machining aerospace parts. Finetuning and tweaking critical parts such as the plane’s wings can also ensure a safe and efficient flight.Aerospace CNC Machining Use in Space Travel
When thinking of space travel, companies like NASA and SpaceX are the first to come to your mind. These companies responsibly design and manufacture the most technologically advanced spacecraft and rockets for different missions. However, aircraft CNC machining played essential roles in their ability to do this. This process is critical to manufacturing the most minute components up to the rocket’s body design. As you know, it is important to build spacecraft to withstand life in space. Precision comes to play again here. Parts do not only have to work properly, but they also need to ensure the safe operation of the spacecraft. This ensures the protection of the crew and the spacecraft itself. Since precision manufacturing is the focus word in CNC machining, this process is the way to go.RapidDirect Aerospace CNC Machining Capabilities
At RapidDirect, our engineers meet the stringiest of industry standards to revolutionize the CNC machining process continually. Regardless of the tolerances you need for your CNC machining aerospace parts, our experts have the knowledge and experience to handle them. We have an excellent record for providing our customers with the highest possible precision.Aerospace Machining with 5 Axis CNC
CNC machining aerospace parts are complex, and they come in variations. Therefore, it makes sense to configure many of these parts with 5 axis milling machines. 5 axis CNC machining involves the operation of a machine using highly accurate CNC. This process moves cutting tools and parts across up to 5 axes at the same time.
Materials Used in Aerospace CNC Machining
Although it is common to immediately think of an aircraft’s engine or wings when talking about aerospace manufacturing, millions of parts make up an aircraft. For example, the Boeing 747 comes with over 6 million components. Evidently, not all the parts are produced using CNC machining.Lightweight Metals
Two key properties dictate the CNC machining materials used by aerospace companies. These properties are strength and weight. Although considered strong, metals such as steel are not ideal for most parts. This is because they are incredibly heavy, leading to less fuel-efficient (and thus more expensive) planes.
The aerospace industry, therefore, looks at strong and lightweight metals such as titanium and aluminum alloys. Both of these metal materials used in CNC machining are easy to work with. Titanium, for instance, is roughly 30% stronger and 50% lighter than steel. It also boasts excellent resistance to high temperatures and corrosion. Thus, it is ideal for functional aircraft components and external parts. Aluminum, for its part, is lighter than titanium but only about half as strong. The highly machinable metal is, however, more cost-effective than titanium. It is also well-suited for a wide range of aircraft components.