The aerospace industry is one of the most demanding industries in terms of quality and precision.
Its products are often highly specialized, meaning that they need to be made with the utmost care.
In order to design and build these parts with precision, aerospace manufacturers use the best quality cutting tools.
Types of Cutting Tools for the Aerospace Industry
Cutting tools are used for a variety of purposes in the aerospace industry.
Some are used to cut metals, while others are used to cut plastics or other materials.
Other cutting tools can be used for both metal and plastic cutting as well as other applications such as drilling holes in materials or machining parts.
The following are some common types of cutting tools that you may find in an aerospace manufacturing facility:
Reamers
Reamers are used to enlarge a hole or bore in a workpiece by removing excess
material from inside the hole.
The reamer can be made from solid carbide, high-speed steel, cobalt steel or solid carbide tipped with high-speed steel.
Reamers are mainly used for two purposes:
- To enlarge holes to size after they have been drilled (also called bottoming reamers).
- To remove burrs and bumps left behind by other tools such as drills, mills, and lathes.
The types of reamers include:
- Straight fluted reamers
These reamers have straight flutes with helical flutes on the outside.
The helical flutes help remove metal efficiently and smoothly while the straight flutes provide strength to the tool.
This type of reamer is most commonly used for drilling holes in pipes and tubes where strength is required.
- Tapered-shank reamers
These reamers have tapered shanks which allow them to fit into drilled holes easily without any difficulty.
Tapered-shank reamers are available in both standard and metric sizes for standardizing hole sizes within an assembly process.
- Ball-end reamers
These reamers have ball-ends that help prevent damage when used on delicate surfaces because they don’t dig into them as much as other types of cutting tools would do so.
Drills
When it comes to cutting tools, the aerospace industry has very specific requirements.
The materials that go into making an aircraft or spacecraft are extremely expensive, so any tool used in their construction must be able to perform consistently and efficiently.
This is why the aerospace industry uses specialized cutting tools that can withstand high temperatures and pressures.
Drills are used to create holes in materials using a rotating point that cuts through with pressure from a drill chuck.
These drills can be made from high-speed steel (HSS), carbide, or tungsten carbide.
They have different shapes depending on their purpose and size.
They come with a sharp point at one end to make small holes, while others have round ends for boring larger holes.
End Mills
End mills are commonly used in the aerospace industry because they can be used to cut through many materials, such as aluminium, titanium, steel alloy, and more.
They are also used for milling operations that require high accuracy and smooth surfaces.
These tools come in various shapes and sizes depending on their type and usage, but they all have one thing in common.
They cut material by turning back and forth while moving through the material at constant speed along an axis parallel to the tool’s spindle axis (axis of rotation).
Custom Cutting Tools for the Aerospace Industry
Today, as the aerospace production industry is growing exponentially, cutting tools are becoming more sophisticated.
And often these aerospace cutting tools become more complex and costly to create.
Therefore, manufacturers aim to find new sources of production for these tools.
That is what ASIME is here for.
We provide highly accurate ready-made and custom cutting tools for a wide range of industries including the aerospace industry.
Our cutting tools are high in quality and no matter how complex your needs are, we can fulfill them.
Our unique way of business and dedication to the needs of our customers allows us to meet your demands and offer solutions that others can’t.
So, contact us today for a FREE consultation!
Suggested read: The Importance of Precision Machined Parts for the Rail Industry
