Bring me the horizon

Italian machine tool supplier, Breton continues to introduce revolutionary technologies that open up new horizons for the machining of aerospace applications. Aerospace Manufacturing reports.

The aerospace industry is continuously searching for innovative materials that offer better performance and components that are machined to much higher accuracies. The industry relies on machine tool suppliers that can quickly develop cutting-edge production solutions, which are both competitive and immediately reliable.

Breton, the Italian company manufacturing high-speed machining centres, says this is why many major aerospace players are selecting the company as a partner. From the most affordable machine configurations up to large and complex automated manufacturing systems, Breton is always focused in providing its customers with the best return of investment solutions.

At its engineering and manufacturing headquarter in Northern Italy - as well as in its other six service centres worldwide – its dedicated team of experts perform preventive part and process analysis in order to determine the most effective and efficient way of producing aerospace components using a wide mix of technologies, including turning, milling, grinding or in-process probing. Breton competences range from lightweight composite materials up to tough special alloys on applications such as aero-engine parts and large aerostructures.

There are many advantages offered by the architecture of the Breton machines. These comprise vertical trunnion tables, large overhead gantries and moving portals which provide benefits, such as reduced footprint, greater accessibility, high dynamics, thermo-symmetry and thermal stability, combined to user-friendly programming and low maintenance requirements.

These benefits become even more evident when a single machine is capable of performing more than one task simultaneously in a perfect multitasking approach, a concept in which Breton says it has a wealth of experience. As an example, Breton has recently introduced two revolutionary technologies that open up new horizons for the machining of aerospace applications.

At the heart of one of these is a machining head that can drill and countersink not only faster, but also more precisely than ever before. It can be installed on a variety of 5-axis machining centres, such as those of the Breton Matrix and Breton Eagle families.

No special programing is required since three accurate probes around the cutting tool automatically come into contact with the surface of the workpiece to detect the real position in the space, directly adjusting the perpendicular direction to the surface and measuring the exact countersinking depth – all in one hit. It's a solution, which has already been adopted by various airframe manufacturers supplying components with a higher degree of accuracy at much faster lead-times.

A material whirl

Another innovation focuses on the accessories Breton has developed for ultrasonic cutting – ideal when machining core materials with aramid and aluminium honeycomb for structural components which must be lighter than ever, maintain their structural rigidity and be produced at high speed.

Both technologies are automatically managed and are interchangeable with other conventional rotary cutting tools, performing a series of operations with just one machine to reduce investment, production costs and times and guarantee greater accuracy and more efficient productivity.

Considering the important existing order backlog in several aerospace programmes, the ramp-up stage of many others and the extremely positive outlook for the future of the civil aviation, there is no doubt that most of the international aerospace players will need to increase productivity and be prepared for incoming growing demand.

In such a context, the selection of a reliable and dependable machine tool partner is becoming more and more important every day. Breton says that if you need a robust supplier, granting stability and innovation for the years ahead then look no further.

www.breton.it/machinetool/en