Recently, Duval Precision Grinding worked on a project for a large-scale aerospace manufacturer that produces components for the military. The customer needed pre-machining grinding and final-dimension grinding for a set of chrome-plated pitch control shafts with extremely demanding tolerance specifications. To complete the job the entire process had to be evaluated from tooling & fixturing, to grinding, and quality inspection, making it one of the most challenging jobs the team has taken on.
Matching Tight Tolerances for Challenging Part Specifications
To ensure the parts would be completed with the level of exactitude the customer required, our team worked collaboratively with the OEM and customer engineers, who traveled onsite to view our operations firsthand. The tight tolerances for this part needed to be met without any variation, which necessitated the production of custom fixtures that would be used exclusively to complete this particular job.
Our entire team, from operators to inspectors worked with the customer’s engineering team to develop a specialized timing fixture that would be able to rotate and index the parts. Timing the features around a circular axis requires an experienced grinder, which made Duval an ideal choice to provide precision grinding for this job. The final inspection process had to correlate with the customer’s to ensure final specifications were met. Duval also collaborated with the customer to offer consultation on revisions to the manufacturing process to provide a part that would facilitate more efficient grinding operations and yield improved dimensional results in the future.
Duval Does What It Takes to Get the Job Done
The pitch control shafts were made of 300M steel, which is fairly typical for landing gear structures. Duval performed the initial pre-machining operations to prepare the shafts for the next stages of production, which included shot-peening and chrome plating. The parts were then returned to Duval for final-dimension grinding.
The pre-machining operations that our precision grinding experts provided for the client included OD grinding with a slot grind on the outside diameter, surface grinding, ID surface grinding, side wheel grinding, and radial flat grinding in the slot. The interior of the shafts had four flat surfaces that had to be indexed with precision surface grinding. Our surface grinding capabilities for indexed features are of supreme quality, thanks to our grinders’ impressive level of experience. It was a difficult process, but our team is well-equipped for these intensive projects and was able to execute this job seamlessly.
At Duval, we understand that, in an industry like aerospace and aviation, there is no room for error. This is why we are dedicated to meeting our customers’ specifications, regardless of how complex they may be for other facilities. For more information about precision grinding services for aerospace components, contact us today.