Aerospace cutting tools and the aerospace industry have changed in the past decade. Ten years ago, composite machining was a new technology and aircraft engines and airframes were produced from exotic alloys. Materials development, as well as do the tools for the production of engine and airframe components. It is in this way that cutting tools have evolved from HSS to solid carbide and then carbide with coatings to accommodate exotic materials and, more recently, synthetic materials.

Carbide has since improved with new and finer grades that offer improved strength and productivity. Improved grades of carbide and new geometries and coatings enhance productivity. However, with aerospace cutting tools, the search has been to have a single tool capable of multiple operations. Composite aircraft skins are penetratable by diamond tools graded for a particular composite type, composite grade specific cutters. The same is also true of PCD tooling used for milling and routing composite sheets.

High tolerance machining
The development of diamond coatings and carbide grades for processing composite and exotic alloy machining are only one element of change over the last ten years. Tight tolerance bands, complex cutter forms, and then adding the class specific coating for the especially tool are the challenges faced by the manufacturers.

Tolerance levels of critical components are high important when aircraft work at extreme speeds with the pressure and forces acting on critical parts. The faster the turbine rotation, the tighter the manufacturing tolerance required. There is no room for loose tolerances in the modern industry. To make parts to these increasingly critical tolerances with ever more complex components and form tools is the challenge.

Aerospace standard tools for a specific material or tolerance, demand that all cutters have individual inspection reports. Certificates of conformity enable OEMs to push their quality control procedures onto the supplier thus relieving repetitive in-house quality control processes. Tools supplied to the aero industry are mostly in fact no longer standard items. 60% of aerospace cutting tools are specials.

The Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry is a critical business area that is more than just a business. Of course, there are businesses that are concerned about production, sales and profits, but this is one area of operations where countries take active interest because of their need to protect themselves.

Recent Changes In The Aerospace And Defense Industries

In recent times the A&D industry has gone through many changes, and some of them have been positive for the business and some not so positive.

Firstly, in the last decade or so, the perception of threat has increased – international terrorism has made it worse. Nations of the world have had to strike against Iraq and Afghanistan. There have also been instances of regional political tensions in China, India, Pakistan, and in other parts of the world. Countries are always trying to get the latest machinery so that they can remain armed and can face any contingencies. Because of this, the demand for A&D has only risen.

It also needs to be remembered here that this is a high technology industry that changes rapidly with scientific and technological breakthroughs. What this means is that, countries need to upgrade their facilities as new technology makes the old redundant. In other words, if your political enemy has upgraded, your defense abilities may fall short and you must also upgrade your resources.

This, of course, means that the aerospace and defense industry can keep selling to the same customer over and over again. But not everything is that good. In fact often, there are a great number of challenges. The main threats are from uncertainties concerning the supply of oil and the steep price hikes, political uncertainties and a worldwide credit crisis because of which countries are worried whether they will be able to meet the high prices of the A&D companies or not. There have been, after all, instances of default. There have also been instances where countries have had to take a loan to meet their defense needs.

The A&D Business And Industries Worldwide

These are big businesses and contracts can run into billions of dollars. Naturally there is a lot of competition among companies. There are usually two kinds of contract. Firstly, there is the contract of sale and second there is the maintenance contract wherein engineers of the company maintain the facilities, train government staff to maintain them, or do both.

Some of the biggest companies in the aerospace and defense industry are based in the European Union (BAE Systems, EADS, Dassault, Finmeccanica and Thales), China (the manufacturing and research facilities are located in Nanchang, Shenyang, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xian and Beijing), India (HAL in Bangalore), Russia (United Aircraft Building Corporation and Oboronprom), the UK (BAE Systems) and the US.