Do you work in the aerospace industry? Then you should definitely know about the difference abrasive flow machining (AFM) can make for your components. Call (562) 531-2976 to speak with the AFM experts at Extrude Hone AFM about your needs, and we’ll make it happen.
In the meantime, here are some helpful questions and answers that are specifically geared toward the aerospace industry.
Question: Can AFM increase the flow capacity of a cast impellor?
Answer: Yes. AFM will improve the flow capacity and help with balancing, which is especially great for components that turn at high rpms. The cast surface of the blades on the impeller are polished during the AFM process, which creates a more laminar, efficient flow, which makes them match more closely together.
Question: My company makes a fuel/air nozzle with a lot of flow holes drilled around the side walls that flow inconsistently. Can Extrude Hone AFM fix that?
Answer: Yes, Extrude Hone AFM can make them flow evenly. After several flow cycles in the AFM process, the flow holes will even out in size and flow capability. This happens because Extrude Hone AFM flows all the flow holes at once, meaning that they all receive hydraulic pressure and abrasive flow from a single source at the same time. If any of the holes flow less than the others, these holes will have a greater restriction to abrasive flow, resulting in more material being removed during the AFM process. The end result will be that your fuel/air nozzle flow holes will flow consistently after being sent to Extrude Hone AFM.
Question: How do you control the amount of material that is removed?
Answer: This is a question we are asked all the time by people working in all kinds of industries, including the aerospace industry. Thankfully, the answer is yes - the AFM process is rather easy to adjust to specific requirements. We at Extrude Hone AFM are always careful to control the amount of material that’s removed in order to ensure the component works most effectively after going through the AFM process.
The primary variables that need to be controlled to adjust the amount of material that’s removed by AFM are the tooling, the media flow pressure, the viscosity and the abrasive concentration of the media used for the AFM process.
These variables need to be adjusted very precisely to achieve the desired outcome. As a result, each application of the AFM needs to be specifically engineered and developed by the experts at Extrude Hone AFM.
Question: Can a hydraulic body with lots of intersecting holes be Extrude Honed?
Answer: Yes, though it will be Extrude Honed one of two ways, depending on various factors. Sometimes, the targeted intersections can all receive abrasive flow and be deburred and radiused at the same time. In other cases, certain sections will need to be isolated to ensure equal flow occurs. But rest assured that a hydraulic body can be Extrude Honed. Call (562) 531-2976 to talk with our AFM experts about your hydraulic body needs, and we’ll start strategizing right away to meet or perhaps even exceed your expectations.
Extrude Hone AFM is the nation’s foremost AFM company, so don’t hesitate to call (562) 531-2976 to discuss your next project with our Extrude Honing experts.
