CMS Delivers Innovative CNC Features for Aerospace Manufacturing

Jan 20, 2016

If you’re a manufacturer of, well, just about anything for aerospace, you know the importance of precision and repeatability. Few industries are subject to stricter regulations or higher expectations. As such, manufacturing any aerospace part or component, no matter how large or small, can present significant challenges. To meet the unique needs of aerospace OEMs and parts manufacturers, CMS Industries’ CNC machining centers include numerous innovative features you won’t find anywhere else.

Mobile Bridge Structures, Guide Rails & Beams

For manufacturers of large-scale aerospace components, and/or those who want to perform multiple machining processes simultaneously, many of CMS’ CNC systems are built with large work envelopes. To ensure high dynamic properties and superior accuracy in large operating spaces, our systems include specialized mobile bridge structures, guide rails, and structural beams.

High-mounted guide rails on our mobile bridges provide the CNC tools with maximum accessibility to the workpiece. They also offer excellent modularity and make a very long X-axis possible, while minimizing the mass of the system’s moving parts (i.e., the beams).

Each CNC machining center’s beam—which moves along the guide rails and carries the workhead as it operates—is constructed as a single section. The most critical moving part for precision manufacturing, these beams feature a large center distance between their Y guides; this provides exceptional torsional rigidity for the entire assembly. For optimum rigidity, the weight of the beam is also critical. Our engineers specify light, hollow structures with stringers and ribs that provide high strength with low weight. Structural dimensioning is performed via FEA (finite element analysis) to achieve the perfect balance between rigidity and weight.

Engineered for Unparalleled Accuracy & Repeatability

With large-scale CNC machining centers such as these, maintaining accuracy and repeatability can be difficult. CMS Industries’ CNC systems are specially engineered to hold their tolerances and alignment and for easy adjustment should recalibration be required.

Our machining centers’ high-mounted guide rails feature double-adjustable shoulders to help compensate for any eventual settling of the machine’s foundation under its expansive X-axes, and the beam-and-rack system includes specially-designed mechanical couplings that provide reliable motion control. To counteract thermal expansion, should such a challenge present itself, actual measurements are acquired in real time by a system of thermal probes embedded in the machine, allowing the CNC system to perform automatic compensations.

All CMS CNC machining centers include state-of-the-art interfaces, direct encoders, and CNC drives from industry-leading providers. Our proprietary software offers advanced options for high speed machining with no loss of precision, accuracy, or repeatability. All mechanical components are manufactured in-house to ensure our own high standards of quality are met.

CMS designs, engineers, and manufactures the electrospindles for our CNC machining centers. We provide numerous options to give our customers the best solution for the material(s) with which they’ll be working.

The Right Solution for YOUR Machining Needs

CMS North America offers a range of CNC machining options for aerospace manufacturing. We have large format moving bridges, “standard” moving bridges, moving gantry systems, and moving table systems, as well as custom CNC machines.