In December, TTL, the Buckinghamshire specialist in adaptive machining and digital manufacturing, will take delivery of a Starrag Heckert X50 5-axis horizontal mill/turn machining centre.

This is the sixth machine at the Haddenham facility, and the first TTL has bought from its parent group.

Why the investment?

“Jet engine components, repairing HPC blades, repairing blisks – that is something we’re deeply embedded in, so we needed to invest in the best technology available, and the choice was a machine from the Starrag Group. The Starrag X50 mill/turn capable machine is going to be at our facility later this year. It wasn’t purchased because we’re part of the Starrag Group, it was acquired on its technical attributes and the fact that a lot of our global customer base has invested in Starrag technology.”

The driver is the changing value of the components that TTL’s customers ask it to process. Automating the repair of a single blade is one business case; an integrated bladed rotor is another entirely.

“With components being repaired which are single blade, you can imagine it could be a $500 part, but $1,500 in cost. Now, with the complex integrated bladed rotor (IBR) or blisk component, those numbers could be 10X and $50,000 to $150,000. To automate the repair of those components with our technology and the Starrag Heckert X50 is a significant commercial advantage,” adds Paul Whistance, Finance Director at TTL.

A major factor in the purchasing decision was a multi-machine adaptive machining requirement for a major US defence programme, on which TTL is working alongside Starrag as process and software partner. The US defence programme has made a significant long-term investment in the Starrag Heckert X50, so purchasing the same machine enables TTL to develop, prove and optimise the customers’ processes at Haddenham rather than at the customer sites worldwide.

What is a Starrag Heckert X50?

The Starrag Heckert X50 is a horizontal machining centre with a trunnion table, giving short force paths, high structural rigidity and complete 5-sided machining from a single clamping as well as turning capability. For TTL, that trunnion arrangement is the most important feature on the machine.

“It’s a trunnion-type machine, so that gives us the ability to move the components, which is huge for us in terms of dynamic capability,” says Simon. “The speed at which we can keep the tool tip in contact with a component, such as an aerofoil, is significantly improved. Additionally, the diameters we can reach are nearly twice those of the other platforms we have. This is significant for TTL.”

The machine also delivers considerably greater component height, opening up the mid-sized casings TTL previously could not accommodate, including the flanges and ports involved in casing remanufacture.

“The machine has an 18,000 rpm motor spindle, 5-axis milling and turning capability, and the ability to tap into all of those functions, with the added ability to mount an angle head and the security of the hybrid bearings, is what makes this the ideal machine. It has very high precision, incredible resonance control and unparalleled dynamics. That is why we’ve selected it. We honestly believe this has capabilities that far exceed what other machines can provide.”

The machine is supplied with the latest Siemens Sinumerik control, which matters for a business whose entire toolset is built on Siemens technology. TTL can develop and validate a process end to end, from the CAM environment through to the control that will run it on the customer’s shop floor.

The Benefits

TTL’s work typically divides into two streams. One is new part manufacture from castings and forgings where the challenge is best-fit alignment in six degrees of freedom; and the second is MRO, where the component no longer matches the model it was built from.

“Components in service are obviously not the shape they were when they were manufactured by design, so they’re not the same as the CAD model,” explains Simon. “This is where we have to adjust for deviation or shape change caused by stress or heat deformation, using an automatic measurement workflow that can scan and utilise probing data. By measuring, we can then auto-calculate the new CAD model shape in the software to make new tool paths, new post-processor code, new simulation, and then new G-Code that’s going to successfully process that part. The prize is the elimination of hand finishing.”

“Very simply, you can machine so far, and then you have to stop; otherwise you’re going to scrap the component. So you have to leave some stock, and that means high blends or high stock levels. Then you have to go to a manual hand blending or die grinding process, and that means RSI. It has health and safety challenges, especially with Inconel and titanium polishing and grinding processes. We have some customers that have applied the technology and no longer need hand finishing processes for their product to get back into service. This is a significant benefit.”

Showcasing the Starrag Heckert X50 machine

Starrag UK will offer open access for demonstrations and customer visits, giving prospective buyers the chance to see the X50 running real aerospace processes rather than sample cuts.

“We use our skills, our experience, our engineering knowledge to solve problems that others cannot solve. By having access to these machines locally, we can increase the capability both for us, and for the wider group, taking business to the next level. We now have that capability in-house, and we can be a centre of excellence to use this machine at a higher level than anybody else,” concludes Simon.

Learn more www.ttl-solutions.com

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