Present Status and Future Directions of High Performance Cutting in Aerospace Manufacturing

Abstract

Manufacturing remains the largest and most important wealth generating sector. Within this sector, material cutting is a key technology in the aerospace and automotive industries, contributing to more than C$200 billion to the economy in North America on annual basis. The demand for high productivity and high accuracy is steadily increasing, along with the increasing attention to the impact on the environment. With more than 700 companies in the aerospace sector, Canada has been ranked third globally in terms of global civil aircraft production, especially for aerostructures, providing more than C$27 billion of direct revenue annually. It is clear that improvement and optimization of metal cutting processes are essential for continuous improvement in this sector. This paper presents the recent advances in high-performance cutting technologies that are aligned with the I4.0 paradigm through featuring environmental and economical sustainability, effective digital inter-connectivity and integrated intelligence. The focus in this paper is placed on the following enabling technologies: (i) Superabrasive grinding using diamond and Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) abrasives for grinding difficult-to-cut aerospace materials. (ii) Integrated process of laser-assisted machining (LAM) and laser surface heat treatment. (iii) New sustainable hybrid cooling using liquid nitrogen (LN2) with minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). (iv) Intelligent tool condition monitoring (TCM) to predict and prevent tool failure. (v) Virtual machining for tool geometry and cutting conditions optimization in drilling of fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) and hybrid stacks.