Nozzle Guide Vanes

Nozzle guide vane manufacturing and repair involves a precision oriented, state-of-the-art machining system. Typical ground features are radial surfaces, including grooves and hooks, straight surfaces, like mate faces, slash faces and packing angles and finally, seal slots. As an example, Huffman grinding systems ground 16 surfaces on a nozzle guide vane with 3 grinding wheels on one wheelpack using 2 part clampings. Multiple fixtures were placed in the machine so that one part was completed with each grinding cycle.

Process

Superabrasive electroplated and vitrified CBN grinding technology, in conjunction with a multi-axis grinding system enables the maximum number of surfaces to be ground with the minimum number of setups.

Material

Superalloys used in flight and industrial turbine components.

Cycle Times

Cycle time is an important measure of productivity. More importantly, the combination of superabrasive grinding wheels, multiple wheels to combine operations and multi-station fixtures create opportunities to dramatically collapse total manufacturing cost and throughput time. Cycle times for grinding nozzle guide vanes depend on component size and amount of material removed.

Machine Features and Benefits

• Available on the Huffman HS-195, HS-155S, HS-225 grinding systems.
• Up to 50 HP (37 kW) yields fast material removal rates.
• Controlled coolant insures high statistical process capability.
• Optional scale feedback is available for increased accuracy.
• Quick change fixtures, pallets, wheels and coolant nozzles minimize load and unload time, and simplify and minimize time to change over between different part numbers.