HDA Forgings presses ahead with Mikron HSM 700

Citation

(1998), "HDA Forgings presses ahead with Mikron HSM 700", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 70 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.1998.12770aab.013

HDA Forgings presses ahead with Mikron HSM 700

HDA Forgings presses ahead with Mikron HSM 700

A leading supplier of forgings to the aerospace industry, HDA Forgings Ltd of Redditch, has ordered a portal-style Mikron HSM 700 high speed machining centre from Mikron (Birmingham). The machine is expected to improve die making productivity and "as-machined" quality of pre-hardened H13 die material for turbine blade manufacture, compared with traditional vertical EDM sink based methods which require extensive finish polishing.

HDA Forgings manufactures its own tooling which ranges from just 2 kg to some 35 tonnes. The company supplies forgings to both airframe and aero engine makers. The smaller turbine blade forgings can be as tiny as a finger nail or, on the larger scale, up to 1,800 mm long for steam turbine blades.

Derek Wilson, HDA's design and manufacturing engineering manager comments: "The tooling dies that we intend to machine are currently produced using vertical EDM. Adopting a high speed machining route will save time and the high consumable costs associated with sourcing and machining of graphite electrodes. We also expect to achieve a more accurate as-machined profile," he maintains.

The HSM 700 was selected following comparative trials with a number of alternative machines. It was felt by HDA's engineers that the purpose-built approach adopted by Mikron in Switzerland resulted in a well integrated machine tool design capable of achieving superior quality and manufacturing cycle times.

Derek Wilson recounts: "When selecting the Mikron we felt it met a, 'no compromise' design developed specifically for high speed machining. Our stringent benchmark testing and assessment procedure drew a higher overall score than any other machine and it was particularly strong on accuracy. We also noted that the machine control system is far superior for our application than anything we have experienced elsewhere."

Details from Mikron (Birmingham) Ltd, Chelmsley Wood Industrial Estate, Waterloo Avenue, Birmingham B37 6QQ. Tel: 0121 788 8686.