JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015 - 69

aero-dinamics
Focus
The new tool geometries possible with Aero-DianamicsTM offer significant improvements in
productivity in the processing of materials for aircraft manufacture, including:
- Superior wear resistance over coated tungsten carbide. (PCD is the hardest man-made material
in industrial use. Its wear resistance far exceeds that of tungsten carbide.)
- Longer tool life with consistent precision. According to a study by the University of Birmingham
in the UK, the use of PCD extends tool life by a factor of at least ten times. In addition, it can
maintain optimum sharpness throughout the life of the tool.
- Flute angles that cut fibres more cleanly. PCD drills and end mills produce consistent hole and
edge quality for significantly longer than coated carbide tools.
- Faster tool operation with better temperature control. Tools can run faster with PCD as it has
sharper edges and less friction, combined with good thermal conductivity. Consequently, CFRP
stacked with aluminium and titanium can be drilled twice as fast without the problems associated with workpiece overheating.
- Reduced re-working and downtime. Long intervals between tool changes and the elimination of
time-consuming reworking of holes and edges reduces machine downtime significantly, enabling
further automation of existing production processes.

This new generation of composite tooling solutions entirely replaces the need
for coated tungsten carbide tools for
fabricating composite components.

Technology gap
Traditionally, PCD has been only available in flat discs or segments that are subsequently brazed to a tool body to form
a cutting tool. This limits the cutting
geometry to simple straight fluted milling cutter or single-point cutting tools,

and the ability to produce a cutting edge
with a shallow helix or spiral results in
tools that have a cleaner, sharper cutting action that can machine faster and
more efficiently. Element Six recognised
this technology gap and embarked on
a project to develop a range of materials that could be used to produce PCD
cutting tools with helical cutting flutes.
Using a technology originally developed
for producing PCD shaped cutters for
the oil & gas extraction market, a set

of products was designed, tested and
developed to allow a tool fabricator to
produce milling cutters and drills with
true three-dimensional cutting geometries. This product was branded the
Aero-DianamicsTM range.

Independent tests
Aero-DianamicsTM performance advantages have been validated in independent tests by two of Europe's leading
aerospace precision machining research
institutions, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in partnership with Boeing, at the University
of Sheffield, United Kingdom, and the
Institute of Production Management
and Technology (IPMT) at Hamburg
University of Technology (TUHH),
Germany.
Testing to date has shown the AeroDianamicsTM range significantly outperforms tungsten carbide, and has the
potential to support the global aerospace industry's adoption of CFRP.
The product range was formally
launched in the USA at the IMTS trade
show in September 2014, in Japan at the
JIMTOF trade show in November 2014,
and in Europe at the Advanced Engineering Show in November 2014.

A large market
CFRP composites already make up
around 50% of airframe materials and
future growth is expected at around
14% per annum. At the same time,
processing these materials is extremely
difficult. As traditional technologies fail
here, innovative technologies that enable efficient, fast and at the same time
sustainable processing of CFRP will rise
in demand. As the aerospace industry
increasingly adopts CFRP and is looking for efficient ways to process these,
there is a large potential market for the
Aero-Dianamics™ product range. n
More information:
www.e6.com
Element Six's new Aero-DianamicsTM polycrystalline diamond portfolio, engineered to provide tool manufacturers the ability to develop next-generation composite tooling solutions for the aerospace industry.

No95 March 2015 /

Contact:
aerodianamics@e6.com

jec composites magazine 69

http://www.e6.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #95 - Special JEC Europe - March 2015