High-Performance Milling Techniques of Thin-Walled Elements

Abstract

The paper presents an overview of high-performance milling techniques of thin-walled elements. Currently, the tendency to simplify semi-fi nished products is used in aviation. In that case even 95% of semi-fi nished product mass is converted into chips, hence the increasing interest in such techniques as: High Performance Cutting (HPC) and High Speed Cutting (HSC). The aim of the paper was to research high-performance milling techniques of thin-walled elements in reference to conventional machining. The material was the EN AW-7075 T651 aluminium alloy. A thinwalled pocket structure was designed and manufactured. The aspects related to geometric accuracy, surface quality and cutting time were analysed. On the basis of the obtained results, it was found that in case of geometric accuracy associated with the wall deformation, the greatest deformation was obtained after HPC, while the smallest one after HSC. The diff erence was over 400% (comparing HPC to HSC). A similar relationship was also received for the quality of the machined surface. Analysing the cutting time, the best result was achieved after HPC in reference to HSC and conventional machining. Taking into account all analysed variables, prime solution was a combination of HPC and HSC. Thanks to the use of HSC as a fi nishing, it is possible to receive high geometric accuracy and quality of the machined surface, while the application of HPC for roughing allows to shorten the cutting time, translating into an increase in the effi ciency of the milling process. Conventional machining is slightly less advantageous in terms of geometric accuracy and surface quality and it could possibly be used alternatively with High Speed Cutting, but its weakness is signifi cantly lower effi ciency compared to high-performance machining.

Classification of Deflections of Thin-Walled Elements Made of EN AW-7075A Aluminum Alloy During Milling

“…Other methods that allow to improve the quality and accuracy of thin-walled elements are the selection of an appropriate machining method. The research [7] presents a comparison of high-performance machining methods with traditional ones in favor of HSC (high speed cutting). In addition to the selection of technological parameters, the strategy for machining thin-walled elements is important.…”

Contributions Regarding the High-Speed Milling of Parts with Low Rigidity Made from Aluminum Alloys

“…Among these, high-speed milling (HSM) is one solution for industry that provides many gains in terms of productivity and quality, as well as costs and environmental impact. Furthermore, this technique allows thin-walled parts, typically used in the aeronautical and automotive industries, to be machined [3,4]. In fact, lower milling forces and less cutting heat are involved in the process [5].…”

Implementation of Sacrificial Support Structures for Hybrid Manufacturing of Thin Walls

“…Traditionally, the solution is to maintain as much stock material as possible during machining using a "step-down" approach [9]. Reduced shank tooling and high-speed machining are also used to prevent rubbing on previous steps of the wall and decrease forces [6,10]. However, for hybrid manufacturing this method is counterintuitive to implement.…”