沒有任何東西比飛機(jī)制造更需要尋找新型材料。原因很簡(jiǎn)單：一方面，材料必須能夠承受特別高的應(yīng)力，具體性能取決于在飛機(jī)上所使用的位置。例如，如果用在渦輪機(jī)上，就應(yīng)使用具備極耐高溫性的鋼材。但與此同時(shí)，為了盡可能減少燃料消耗，降低飛機(jī)的總體高度也是非常重要的。經(jīng)過綜合考慮，鈦合金被認(rèn)定為一種非常理想的材料。許多美國(guó)的應(yīng)用案例證明這同時(shí)也對(duì)用于加工鈦合金材料的刀具提出了新的挑戰(zhàn)。

Nowhere is the search for new materials more intense than in the field of aircraft construction. The reasons for this are easy to see: on the one hand, depending on where in the aircraft they are used, the materials must withstand particularly high stresses – in the turbines, for instance, extremely heat-resistant grades of steel are used. At the same time, however, it is important to lower the total weight of the aircraft and so minimize fuel consumption. Taken together, this makes titanium an extremely desirable material. The challenges this presents to the tools used for machining titanium are illustrated by a number of applications from the USA.

甚至這種鈦合金材料本身就是一種高科技。凡對(duì)于金屬需要暴露處于于極高應(yīng)力下的情況，目前鈦合金都是不可或缺的。無(wú)論在醫(yī)療技術(shù)器械方面還是在汽車制造行業(yè)，它都得到了廣泛的應(yīng)用。

Even the material itself is high-tech. Wherever metals are exposed to extreme stresses, titanium alloys are now indispensable. They are used in medical technology as much as they are in automobile construction.

但是，在飛機(jī)制造方面，鈦合金金屬真正為自己贏得了殊榮。這種材料的多種強(qiáng)度是其在此應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域的獨(dú)特優(yōu)勢(shì)。鈦合金重量輕、對(duì)震動(dòng)和風(fēng)力作用不敏感，而且加熱后熱膨脹率低。同時(shí)，由于它能夠像鋁合金金屬一樣快速形成一個(gè)表面鈍化層，因此具有耐化學(xué)侵蝕作用。然而，這些起積極作用的特性也促使鈦合金對(duì)任何加工刀具提出了挑戰(zhàn)。正如LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）公司的 Scott Feimster先生所解釋的一樣：“鈦合金因其特殊的物理性能而難以加工。它是一種傳熱性較低的材料，因此熱量迅速積聚在切削刀具上。再者它還是一種金屬，所以能夠與切削刀具中的材料形成合金并傳遞化學(xué)反應(yīng)，從而會(huì)給刀具帶來(lái)擦傷、焊接、涂敷熱熔、彌散和快速磨損等影響?！睘榇耍芏喙疽恢痹趯ふ倚滦偷毒呓鉀Q方案。

But it is in aircraft construction that titanium has really earned its laurels. The wide range of the material's strengths is uniquely advantageous here. Titanium alloys are light in weight, insensitive to shocks and blows, and only undergo low expansion when heated. At the same time, they are resistant to chemical attack because, like aluminum, they quickly develop a protective, passivating surface layer. The positive properties just described, however, also directly contribute to the challenge that titanium alloys present to any machining tools, as Scott Feimster from LMT ONSRUD explains: “Titanium is difficult to machine due to its physical properties. Titanium is a poor heat conductor so the heat can build up quickly on the cutting tool. Because titanium is a reactive metal it can alloy and chemically react with material in the cutting tools which cause galling, welding, smearing and rapid destruction of the cutting tool.” For these reasons, many companies are constantly on the search for new tool solutions.

刀具性能在飛機(jī)制造行業(yè)得到驗(yàn)證

Tools proven in the aircraft industry

直接從LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）搜索這種解決方案并非是一件不同尋常的事。該公司總部設(shè)在芝加哥附近的Libertyville，可提供多個(gè)各系列的切削刀具產(chǎn)品，而且這些產(chǎn)品已經(jīng)在飛機(jī)制造行業(yè)經(jīng)過了多年的驗(yàn)證，尤其是鈦合金的加工。以下兩個(gè)示例驗(yàn)證了符合飛機(jī)制造要求的典型挑戰(zhàn)：

It is not uncommon for the search to lead directly to LMT ONSRUD. The wide spectrum of cutting tools from the company, whose headquarters are in Libertyville, near Chicago, has been proven over many years in the aircraft industry – and particularly includes the machining of titanium alloys. The two following examples illustrate typical challenges met in aircraft construction:

·           在制造飛機(jī)發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)組件時(shí)，經(jīng)常需要加工深度大且結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜的幾何體，尤其對(duì)于一家美國(guó)供應(yīng)商公司更是如此。該公司的生產(chǎn)計(jì)劃員規(guī)劃師一直尋找用于切削6AL-4V鈦合金的更經(jīng)濟(jì)型刀具解決方案?！耙郧八玫牡毒邿o(wú)法達(dá)到預(yù)期的深度。為了在組件部件內(nèi)加工出較深、較窄的凹槽，刀具需要具備較長(zhǎng)的長(zhǎng)度。這樣一來(lái)，不僅刀具容易折斷，而且鈦合金的表面加工質(zhì)量也很差，” Feimster先生解釋稱。LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）可為各企業(yè)提供一種“即插即用”型解決方案：通過使用兩種具有不同長(zhǎng)度的EMC系列鈦合金修整器精銑刀（根據(jù)組件部件的幾何結(jié)構(gòu)進(jìn)行選擇），可提高加工質(zhì)量。同時(shí)，另一個(gè)優(yōu)勢(shì)在于，刀具的使用壽命也大大延長(zhǎng)。

·           Machining geometries with high depth and complexity is a regular task when manufacturing components for aircraft engines, and this is exactly the field of one American supplier company. The production planners there were looking for a more economical tool solution for cutting the titanium alloy 6AL-4V. "The tool that was previously in use was out of its depth. In order to machine the deep, narrow pockets in the component, the cutter necessarily has to be unusually long. Not only did the tool break frequently, but the machining quality on the surface of the titanium alloy was poor," explained Feimster. LMT ONSRUD was able to offer the company a "plug and play" solution: by using two different titanium finishers of different lengths (depending on the geometry of the component) from the EMC series, the machining quality was improved. At the same time, the tools had the attraction of a significantly better tool life.

·           通過使用LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）生產(chǎn)的4刃鈦粗切合金粗銑刀器為另一個(gè)飛機(jī)制造公司加工控制桿，也達(dá)到了類似的效果。研發(fā)這種刀具的目標(biāo)是增加每個(gè)刀具所能加工的組部件數(shù)量?！暗侥壳盀橹顾褂玫牡毒咧荒芗庸?/span>50個(gè)左右的組件部件。這就需要更換刀具。對(duì)工廠管理層而言，更換刀具是非常簡(jiǎn)單的事。另一方面，LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）生產(chǎn)的4刃鈦合金粗銑刀粗切器的使用壽命可延長(zhǎng)至加工約75個(gè)組件部件，”LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）公司的John Hansen先生說(shuō)道。

·           Similar results were achieved through the application of the 4-flute titanium rougher from LMT ONSRUD for machining a control lever at another aircraft construction company. The goal was to increase the number of components made by each tool. "The cutters used until now could only make about 50 components. At that point it was necessary to change the tool. This was just too little for the factory management. The lifetime of a 4-flute titanium rougher from LMT Onsrud, on the other hand, extends over about 75 parts", explains John Hansen of LMT ONSRUD.

其它部門領(lǐng)域– 具有可比性價(jià)值的性能提升

Other sectors – comparable performance jumps

供電部門的一個(gè)應(yīng)用示例證明了為什么說(shuō)鈦金屬鈦合金對(duì)加工刀具的挑戰(zhàn)不僅限于飛機(jī)制造業(yè)。對(duì)于高應(yīng)力組件部件的生產(chǎn)，如：鹽水或氯化水水泵內(nèi)的此類組件部件，許多制造商當(dāng)然會(huì)使用鈦合金。在一家美國(guó)公司，其水泵傳感器是采用6AL-4V鈦合金制造的?！巴ㄟ^使用LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）生產(chǎn)的8刃鈦修整器合金精銑刀，我們?nèi)〉昧司薮蟮某晒?，?/span>LMT ONSRUD（藍(lán)幟昂思路）公司的Bill Trites先生稱，確認(rèn)了該產(chǎn)品在飛機(jī)制造方面的積極作用。“每個(gè)每把刀具所能加工的組件部件的數(shù)量，從3個(gè)（使用以前的刀具）增加至36個(gè)（新型刀具），同時(shí)，加工進(jìn)給速度也由原來(lái)的1.2英寸/分鐘提升至8英寸/分鐘?！?/span>