Radical Departures

Understanding the Elements: The Coordination of Materials, Coatings and Geometry

Manufacturer Competes with MAG3 MMC Investment

Most Powerful Integral Drive Spindle in the World Available

A66E-5XD Five-Axis Machine Ideal for Turbine Parts

Makino's A99E-CD Offers Aerospace Productivity and Flexibility

	Effective demand creation. It's the tallest hurdle in the business-to-business race. Of course, once that's cleared, you better have a sound demand fulfillment strategy that maximizes productivity and efficiency to keep your company ahead of the curve. For the aerospace industry, demand is there, with experts forecasting the need for 13,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years. Now the question remains: who's best positioned to soak up that demand with the highest possible return on investment? It's a daunting task—to realize a suitable ROI on these aircraft, manufacturers must eliminate approximately 30 percent in costs. Some leading aerospace manufacturers are meeting the challenge head-on. With advanced high-speed machining processes, most notably thin wall machining, aircraft structural components are being manufactured with fewer parts and with fewer manufacturing and assembly operations. In some cases, industry leaders have reduced cycle times by as much as 75 percent, and Makino aerospace customers are reporting up to 200 percent increases in productivity. Thin wall machining of structural components allows for higher quality, more precise parts in less time than ever before. These efficiencies, in turn, impact business issues including inventory and just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing. With thin wall machining, certain parts can be machined from a single piece of metal, delivering sizable improvements in part accuracy and quality, as evidenced by the dramatic difference in consistency between a riveted part and a machined part. In fact, thin wall machining techniques can machine 777 deflection control ribs within "jig bore" tolerance from one part to the next. This accuracy makes it possible to machine parts with straight, thin and flat walls to exacting customer tolerances—even at high rpm. From milling to drilling and reaming, most steps can now be performed on one machining center. And with multi-sided fixtures and automated tool and pallet changers, several setups can be eliminated and a variety of parts can be machined. Thin wall machining shaves hours off of the part inspection process, and casting and forging to test a part’s design is no longer a lengthy process. Manufacturers can respond to JIT orders by merely buying materials off the shelf, allowing them to meet small quantity demands for specialty and replacement parts. Thin wall machining’s dramatic cost reductions impact everything—the part, the process and the bottom-line. And as manufacturers rush to fill unprecedented demand, these advanced techniques will undoubtedly separate the leaders from the also-rans. Indeed, thin is in. Copyright © 2001 - 2008 by Makino, Inc. All rights reserved.