More power for aircraft manufacturing: CemeCon and Hufschmied jointly design a new tool
When milling carbon fiber reinforced plastics, the aerospace industry in particular demands maximum quality of the machined surfaces and Maximum process reliability. The companies Hufschmied Zerspanungssysteme GmbH CemeCon and [company name] are now setting new standards for this important future-oriented industry through close collaboration. A jointly developed premium tool combines geometry, substrate, and diamond coating into an optimal solution.
Machining carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), which are particularly advantageous for lightweight construction, is one of the greatest challenges in the machining industry. Even more demanding variants of this composite material are used in aircraft manufacturing. At the same time, there is an absolute focus on maximum component quality, which completely prohibits compromises and demands the highest performance from the milling tools used. This is because the high-strength fibers – despite their varying orientations within the matrix – must be cleanly broken. Otherwise, fiber protrusions or delaminations occur, requiring at least time-consuming manual rework.
The manufacturing of large aircraft components, such as fuselage shells or segments, presents aircraft manufacturers and suppliers with a very specific problem: Wall thicknesses often range from a few millimeters to several centimeters. Enormous lateral forces act on the milling tool at the transitions. In the worst-case scenario, it can break, and fragments can enter the component's interior – resulting in costly production interruptions or even the loss of entire components.
The development partners have addressed precisely these challenges. Hufschmied and CemeCon jointly developed a new milling tool. The Swabian tool manufacturer and the coating specialist collaborated to create a new milling tool that significantly increases process reliability in CFRP milling and extends its tool life by more than 50 percent compared to similar tools.
Structured path to the new premium tool
“Our customers in the aerospace industry repeatedly emphasize this in our discussions: Process reliability is of paramount importance when machining components made of fiber-reinforced composites, as producing scrap is extremely costly. This has motivated us to convince users in this field with a significantly improved solution,” says Fabian Lindinger, Head of Application Engineering at HufschmiedThe foundation was laid for the groundbreaking HEXACUT® 058 milling cutter specifically for aircraft components made of CFRP.
On the way there, the development center of Hufschmied Near Augsburg, the company first conducted an intensive analysis of competing tools and its own milling cutters with regard to geometry and carbide. In addition to optimal process reliability, the new tool was also required to meet another criterion: cutting quality had to be guaranteed over the longest possible tool life.
Perfect coordination of tool parameters
As the process progressed, it became clear how a strong partnership in terms of innovative technology can make all the difference: because it is essential for an ideal overall result. The adapted coating, which was based on the Hufschmied The refined tool geometry and the novel substrate were perfectly matched. To this end, CemeCon's coating experts specified a diamond coating material for the new tool, which already achieved absolutely outstanding quality in testing. "It was truly fascinating to observe how the optimal pairing of carbide substrate and coating material gradually emerged," recalls Javier Fuentes, Head of Development Coatings and Cutting Materials at CemeCon. Hufschmied emphasizes: “Through productive teamwork, we were finally able to achieve a homogeneous wear pattern, allowing us to maintain a clear, smooth milling edge at a consistently high level throughout the entire tool lifespan. And coating flaking or even tool breakage simply no longer occurred in the product tests.”
Marco Furrer, Sales Manager at CemeCon, explains: “For the new HufschmiedFor the tool, we specifically adapted the proven CemeCon coating material CCDia®AeroSpeed®. This allowed us to achieve exceptional adhesion to the surface, despite the high layer thickness. Hufschmied selected hard metal. The convincing result: The new HEXACUT® 058 from Hufschmied This enables users to achieve consistently high cutting quality, maximum process reliability, also due to significantly less vibration, and a significantly longer tool life.
Strong partners operate on an equal footing.
The entire project has benefited immensely from the professional collaboration of all involved, as evidenced by the partnership between Hufschmied And CemeCon's relationship with CemeCon has long since extended far beyond a simple supplier-customer dynamic. Working closely together, they developed crucial details such as edge preparation, cutting radii, and layer thickness and architecture. "With our combined expertise, we were able to optimize all parameters until we achieved a solution that was perfect in every respect," explains Michael Woda, Diamond Development Manager at CemeCon.
The companies are continuing their collaboration in the series production of the HEXACUT® 058. The premium milling cutters of the new type are coated and undergo comprehensive quality control at CemeCon's headquarters in Würselen, in the world's largest diamond coating center. Separately, from Hufschmied Relevant criteria, such as the homogeneous layer thickness distribution, were checked again – for end customers this means an additional increase in process reliability.
"This project – like our other, some long-standing, collaborations with CemeCon – makes an important contribution, Hufschmied “To further establish ourselves worldwide as a synonym for first-class machining solutions,” says Managing Director Christel. Hufschmied Regarding the development success: “The new diamond tool and the joint path with CemeCon towards its industrial maturity will sustainably advance us in achieving our goals.”