May 2008 eNews

MAG Maintenance Technologies responds to need for titanium processing

The increase in titanium aircraft components and the need to quickly optimize the process for machining them has recently led some leading manufacturers to seek a single-source supplier for capital equipment, specialized cutting tools, and applications engineering programming expertise.

Responding to this trend, the Productivity Solutions business of MAG Maintenance Technologies has teamed up with sister company, MAG Cincinnati, to supply a comprehensive solution from a single source.

MAG Maintenance Technologies specializes in providing proprietary tooling for the optimized cutting of titanium and other materials in combination with part programming expertise. Metal removal rate and tool life improvements range from 5x to 30x over traditional methods, while applications engineering programming further improve overall manufacturing efficiency. Sales volumes for tooling and applications support have been doubling semi-annually since 2006.

MAG Cincinnati, a longtime producer of highly rigid titanium processing machine tools, has introduced and installed a wide range of new products. A specially configured five-axis, multiple-spindle profiler, named the Ti Profiler, has emerged as a titanium processing leader. MEGA Series four- and five-axis horizontal machining centers, U5 Universal five-axis/five-sided universal machining centers and special build machines round out the MAG Cincinnati roster of machine tools for titanium processing.

Meeting the demand for titanium parts production has been both a challenge and an opportunity. Key suppliers to aircraft programs such as the Boeing 787, Airbus A380, and the latest-generation military aircraft including the Joint Strike Fighter and the Eurofighter, have required huge gains in cubic-inch-per-minute metal removal rates from tooling to supplement their ramped-up acquisition of machine spindles capable of machining titanium.

MAG Maintenance Technologies met the challenge with a series of cutting tool solutions that balance feed rate improvements, surface finish results, tool life and tool cost. The brazed-carbide Raptor, for instance, has provided up to a 30x productivity bonus, with tool life doubled.

One of the newest offerings of specialized tooling, the Lightning cutter, is a solid carbide, uncoated tool with a uniform flute divide. Being uncoated, it can be reground and back on the machine making chips again quickly. With feed rates on titanium and high tensile steels up to 1,000 mm/min (40 inches/min), the Lightning balances productivity with tool cost.

Additionally, MAG’s sophisticated Mega-Flute is being employed when the fastest cutting speeds, up to 2,000mm/min (79 inches/min), are required.

Other products from the Productivity Solutions Group include a tool management system, adaptive control and monitoring software, and software modules for optimizing milling feed rates and tool life. Specialized teams within the group are also focused on supporting the machining operations of heavy truck manufacturers and the oil exploration industries.

Through MAG Fadal and MAG Giddings & Lewis, manufacturers have access to additional titanium processing machine choices such as best-in-class vertical machining centers and horizontal boring mills.

Want more information? Click below.
MAG Maintenance Technologies

Please rate this article:

Very interesting, with information I can use
Interesting, with information I may use
Interesting, but not applicable to my operation
Not interesting or inaccurate

Comments: