Following the installation of a Mazak VTC-300C-II travelling column vertical machining centre, Canterbury, UK-based Inca Geometric has secured its first aerospace contract of 30 initial components with a totally new customer.
The initial batch of 30 control housing components involved machining every facet from a solid aluminium tooling plate. The Inca method overcame previous problems when the customer produced the parts from castings. Among the problems experienced from use of cast material was a particular difficulty in maintaining a constant depth and form on special sealing grooves in the joint face.
“We were approached to quote for machining the castings but the Mazak VTC gave us the opportunity to put forward a very competitive alternative process for complete machining from solid,” stated Inca's managing director, Mike Cain. “This also gave us the ideal opening to break into a new sector from which we can expect further contracts.”
The Mazak set up involved A and B fixturing to create a pendulum-based process. “This meant we were loading during machining and were able to complete the process in a relatively quick cycle time,” added Cain.
