Titanium Takes Off at Makino

To unveil its latest titanium machining technology, Makino celebrated Global Titanium Day on May 20 with a full schedule of events at its Mason, OH, facility that has been designated as the company?s Global Titanium Research and Development Center. This is the home of a specialized group of engineers chartered with advancing the development of titanium milling technologies. The facility includes state-of-the-art machine tools, specialized titanium machining and tooling experts, CMM equipment and all of the necessary tools and talent to further titanium machining technologies.

?Titanium machining is very process driven, meaning the machine tool, cutting tools, machining process, and coolants must all be developed and integrated specific to titanium?s material properties,? said Tom Clark, vice president of Makino. ?Our mission here at the Global Titanium R&D Center is to provide manufacturers with the best in titanium application expertise by combining our titanium machining capabilities with the world's leading process technologies. This is an ideal opportunity to work with vendors, suppliers, and partners to develop improved metal removal rates and longer tool life in titanium milling.?

The company is strategically releasing several new technologies in titanium machining in 2010, so ?the Mason plant was chosen based on the increasing importance of titanium in the aerospace industry that is centralized here in North America,? added Clark. ?Our past experience in aluminum aerospace applications and grinding of hard metals will serve as an advantage to the continued development of titanium aerospace processing techniques." The select group of engineers that manage the Global Titanium R&D Center possess knowledge and experience around titanium in both academic and industrial backgrounds, and work with tooling and consumable vendors around the world for a wide knowledge base in all types of titanium applications.

Turnout for Global Titanium Day was heavy as the company introduced ADVANTiGE^TM, a new process that can achieve four times the productivity and double the tool life of conventional titanium machining by using advanced spindle technology to increase cutting stability, an advanced coolant delivery system, a vibration dampening system, and advanced machine rigidity. By reducing manufacturers' cost to produce titanium parts, this system could change the way manufacturers think about titanium machining.

The large crowd attending the event heard insights on titanium industry forecasts and market trends from Don Lane, president and CEO of Makino, and Chris Perryman, general manager of ATI Aerospace, along with process presentations, tours of the facility and equipment, and live process demonstrations. The
Global Titanium R&D Center features a variety of machining platforms, including an a81M horizontal machining center, a D500 5-axis vertical machining center, an EDGE3 Ram EDM with Titanium Booster technology, and a T4 5-axis horizontal machining center built specifically for titanium aerospace parts and the first to include ADVANTiGE technologies. The T4 provides X, Y, and Z axis travels of 4,200 mm, 2,000 mm, and 1,000 mm respectively, and can hold workpieces up to 5,000 kg.

The day concluded with dinner and local sightseeing for the attendees.

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