CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
30 August 2007
Events News
Delcam to Demo Adaptive Blade Repair at EMO
Delcam will perform live demonstrations of the use of its software for the adaptive repair of turbine blades at the EMO exhibition to be held in Hannover from 17th to 22nd September. The technique, which will be shown on a Roeders machine tool fitted with Renishaw probing, is based on Delcam's combination of expertise in software for both machining and inspection. This has been built up over many years of development of PowerMILL and PowerINSPECT.
Adaptive machining allows successful production and repair of the most complex components, by using in-process measurement to close the information gaps in the chain of operations.
The most common applications are those where the exact position of a heavy workpiece on the machine tool bed is unknown or when the precise shape of the starting material can vary, for example, when finish machining castings, forgings or large, flexible composite components.
The most challenging adaptive machining operations are those where the precise final shape of the component is unknown. This is needed when repairing turbine blades that have been distorted by the high temperatures in aircraft engines or other components that have been changed from their nominal CAD shape during service.
The initial stage of the process is to measure the blade with the Renishaw probe to determine the extent of its deviation from the nominal CAD data. Then, the morphing functionality in Delcam's PowerSHAPE hybrid modeller can be used to bring the CAD model into line with the actual geometry. The probe is also used to determine the extent of the weld that needs to be machined away. With these measurements, toolpaths can be generated within PowerMILL that will remove the excess weld without violating the blade shape and without excessive air cutting.
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