At Duval, one of our specialties is providing OEMs with high-quality precision grinding services for low-volume, high-value components—particularly for advanced industries such as aerospace manufacturing. Our goal is to complete the work on these types of jobs with the same level of care and attention we would give to large parts or large volume orders.
A major manufacturer in the aerospace industry recently sought our help to complete grinding operations for a series of R&D gearbox components. The gearboxes represented a substantial amount of work, as the component geometries were complex and nearly every feature of the gears would need to be ground. Originally, the OEM had chosen to work with another shop who offered them a lower rate. However, the resulting quality of the work was so subpar, they brought the job to Duval Precision Grinding when they realized they would need to invest in a shop with a more experienced grinding team.
New Process Development for High-Value Parts with Complex Geometries
The gearbox components had a multitude of features that required a range of precision grinding operations including surface grinding, ID grinding, OD grinding and jig grinding. The tolerance requirements for these operations ranged from 0.001” (total tolerance) down to 0.0003” (total tolerance). The team at Duval quickly determined this would be a job where the entire process needed to be considered first—to determine the optimal order of operations—as each grinding operation would affect the next.
Custom Tooling & Fixturing Eliminates Stack-Up Errors
To prevent stack-up errors and ensure the parts would be completed to the exact specifications provided by the customer, our team collaborated with the client to develop a comprehensive processing strategy. Our thorough process development team leverages the knowledge and experience of our precision grinding experts to create streamlined workflows that enable Duval Precision Grinding to deliver the kind of unwavering quality our clients expect.
Developing a new process begins with an assessment of the project’s individual requirements and challenges. Our engineers then develop and comprehensive plan to schedule, grind, and finish the part. Before any work begins, our engineers must determine the need for special tooling and fixturing.
The step dimensions, complex geometries and small surface areas of the part made this a challenging job. Our team modified existing tooling and developed custom fixtures to ensure they could achieve the desired results. Continued dressing of the wheel before grinding was of particular importance, as the wear on the wheel could be uneven and cause an uneven diameter or other stack-up errors.
The experienced attention to detail and dedication of our engineering team ensured that the gearbox components were completed on time and to the customer’s exact specifications. If you have a complex, low-volume, high-value component that requires exceptional precision grinding, contact the experts at Duval Precision Grinding, today.