Titanium ADVANTiGE Technology for Complex Aerospace Machining
With rising demand for titanium in modern aircraft designs, overcoming the challenges of titanium aerospace machining matters now more than ever.
The material properties of titanium, including toughness, strength, corrosion resistance, thermal stability and light weight, make it a highly desirable material for aerospace design engineers. Conversely, these same attributes pose significant challenges in the machining of titanium components, resulting in rapid tool wear and limited metal-removal rates.
At Makino’s Titanium Research and Development Center, engineers are developing productive and profitable solutions to overcome these challenges. Their solution is ADVANTiGE™ technology.
ADVANTiGE technology is changing the way manufacturers think about titanium machining. By improving spindle performance, coolant delivery, vibration damping, machine rigidity and cutting strategies, ADVANTiGE provides four times the productivity and up to nine times the tool life of conventional titanium machining processes.
ADVANTiGE technology includes:
Rigid machine construction: The rigid construction of ADVANTiGE enhanced T-Series 5-axis titanium machining centers serves as a solid, reliable platform for all other technologies and suppresses vibration for reduced tool chipping and improved metal-removal rates.
High-power, high-torque tilting spindle: The ADVANTiGE HSK-125 4,000-rpm spindle is Makino’s most powerful spindle design to date, integrated with 1,100 ft-lbs of duty-rated torque (740 continuous) to handle the high-tensile strength of titanium. Its advanced A-axis twin servo-drive tilting head provides the speed, torque and accuracy necessary to reliably perform full 5-axis roughing and contouring in titanium.
High-pressure, high-flow coolant system: The ADVANTiGE high-pressure, high-flow coolant system delivers large volumes of high-pressure coolant directly to the cutting zone for increased chip evacuation from multi-flute tools. The coolant system includes overhead shower, spindle nozzle and through-spindle coolant for improved cooling, lubrication and chip evacuation in titanium parts.
Vibration damping system: By adjusting frictional forces based on low-frequency vibration sensing, the ADVANTiGE vibration damping system avoids chatter and cutter damage resulting from structure resonance in real time. This vibration suppression enables deeper cuts, higher metal-removal rates and reduced tool wear.
Collision safeguard and autonomic spindle technologies: Some of the greatest risks to the titanium machining process are accidents and collisions that could result in costly material, tool or spindle damages. ADVANTiGE uses Makino’s collision safeguard and autonomic spindle technologies to monitor upcoming toolpaths and cutting conditions to avoid collisions and adjust cutting forces for higher productivity and profitability.
By combining these technologies into one package, ADVANTiGE overcomes the traditional limitations of titanium machining with improved productivity and profitability.
ADVANTiGE is currently available on Makino’s T-Series titanium machining centers. Specifically designed from the ground up for high-efficiency titanium part production, this machine platform delivers the rigidity, dynamic stiffness, vibration damping and agility necessary for more productive titanium machining and a longer tool life.