CNC Machining for The Aerospace Industry
You need to have a part manufactured. You’ve got options. You’ve also got a whole lot of questions that need to be answered. There are steps you can take to organize the path from idea to inventory. The good news is that you don’t have to answer all the questions yourself. Macfab professionals are ready to help.
Given this is a blog about CNC machining aerospace parts, we’ll assume that’s germane to your needs. CNC machining certainly is the predominant manufacturing method in the aerospace industry. No other technology provides a range of materials with flexibility and tolerances.
The Shape of Things to Come
Your engineers design the part to do its task. That’s half the battle. You need to get with engineers at a CNC shop like MacFab to get that design ready to manufacture. Our CNC engineers will take your CAD drawings and turn it into a CAM file -one that’s ready for manufacturing. That sounds deceptively simple because it is.
The level of experience our engineers bring to bear is hard to beat. Your engineers will specify the materials to be used for the part. Our engineers, though, may know of a new material that would suit your part better. That could send your part back for changes -may be to reduce the bulk in areas because the new alloy is stronger than what you initially planned to use. Or perhaps adding a heat shield at one point would allow you to use a lower-cost material behind it. It’s even possible your engineers may have over-designed the part, and our engineers can show you how using a little more of a lighter metal could actually save you money without compromising performance. Certainly, our engineers will provide a new set of eyes on your design. Aerospace CNC machining means they’re always watching for situations which could lead to metal fatigue or other stress failures, as well as missing or conflicting dimensions -which are more common than you might think.
The Evolution of a Part
Complex aerospace parts that perform critical tasks demand that level of consideration and review. Often they also call for iterative designs. You might need to have us manufacture and test a prototype, then tweak your design and test it again. Really complex parts can undergo any number of real-world tests as your engineers home in on the perfect design. MacFab engineers will be there with you all the way; CNC machining aerospace parts is literally what we do.
Of course, as you refine and perfect your design, we will also be defining the inspection and quality control requirements for your parts. As your design changes, QC will change, too. Control surfaces may change, wall thicknesses, fitting dimensions -whatever features of your part that are critical to its operation need rigorous inspection and documentation for any manufacturing run. We document and update that process along with the design development. You’ll have no problem complying with any tolerances, testing, inspection, and documentation requirements your customer might have.
That’s the real value of teaming up with a company like MacFab. Aerospace CNC machining is more than it might appear on the surface. The way we approach our jobs, it’s an entire ethos focused on helping you provide the best possible product for your customers.
