Solutions for Blades and Blisks
Solutions for next-generation rotatives design and high throughput manufacturing.
Designing safe, lightweight and full thrust power airfoils, manufactured at the best cost.
Hexagon’s solutions for rotatives design engineers include structural, acoustic, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation tools, which provide accurate test environments to optimize designs and processes, saving costs down the line.
Our production software solutions support various production simulation and CNC machining techniques to optimize the tool paths and produce quality-controlled parts faster.
To help manufacturers reduce production cycle times and overall cost, Hexagon has helped pioneer the move towards in-line, shop-floor, automated tactile and non-contact metrology for engine component measurement.
Aero-Engine Optimization
Ensure aero-engine design optimally meets weight, power, fuel efficiency and noise requirements over time, for a wide variety of usage conditions with a reduced number of physical prototypes and tests. Leverage multi-body dynamics, turbo-machinery simulations and computational fluid dynamics to probe and optimize the effect of aero-engine blade design and composition on full aero-engine system performances.
System Dynamics
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Structural Analysis
Products used
Aero-Engine Blade Optimization
Optimize the shape, thermo-mechanical behavior and application-specific performance of aero-engine blade concepts while minimizing development time and costs, vs. traditional prototyping/iterative learning. Leverage structural analysis, material modeling and artificial intelligence capabilities to probe and optimize application-specific performance behavior of aero-engine blade concepts, including material and shape considerations.
Structural Analysis
Material Modeling
AI/ML
CT Analysis
Products used
Composite Aero-Engine Blade Development
Optimize both composite material selection and material processing aspects of aero-engine blade development while minimizing development time and costs, vs. traditional prototyping/iterative learning. Leverage non-linear, multi-phase material modeling, virtual material testing and material processing simulations to optimize layup, tooling and process parameters associated with cost and performance optimization.
Material Modeling
Structural Analysis
CT Analysis
Products used
Virtual forging of blades
Reduce time and costs for design and validation of hot forging tools while improving process stability and part properties. Leverage nonlinear transient thermal-mechanical-metallurgical coupled FE-based analysis to compute material flow, temperatures and microstructure evolution during the forging process chain.
Virtual Manufacturing and Costing
Computer Aided Bulk or Post Machining
Reduce the cost of machining and cutting tools, the time needed for CNC programming, and avoid collisions during machining. Use appropriate machining toolpath strategies for the blades, check the corresponding G-code program for the CNC machine to eliminate scrap or collisions on the machine, virtually check part geometry and publish the work instructions.
CAD for CAM, Production Machining
Products used
Closed door machining of blades
No need for operator intervention on the CNC machine during machining, providing both cost reduction and manufacturing security. Automated execution of fully validated machining jobs, with embedded dimensional inspection of part quality and automatic cutting tool gauge compensation.
Production Machining
CNC Simulation
Robot and Machine Calibration
Dimensional Analysis
Process Control and Analytics
Products used
Accelerated Fan Blade Inspection
Significantly reduce measurement cycle time while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and precision for the inspection of fan blades. Combining tactile and non-contact measurement technologies on one CMM, to measure blade profiles in a production environment.
Dimensional Analysis and Automated Inspection
Process Control and Analytics
Products used
Specialized blisk inspection solution
Speed up the creation and execution of measurement routines by up to 50%. High-speed, non-contact scanning for the inspection of profiles and geometrical features of blisks.
Ultra-high accuracy CMM
Non-contact scanning probe
Rotary table for simultaneous 4-axis scanning capabilities
Specialized software
Process Control and Analytics
Dimensional inspection of cooling holes
Reduce measurement programming and cycle times for the precise determination of cooling holes. A multisensor CMM solution, including the identification of the positions of cooling holes of turbine blades with a camera sensor, followed by a tactile inspection of their exact positions and shapes.
Dimensional Analysis
Process Control and Analytics
Products used
CT inspection of turbine blades
Specialized turbine blade inspection for cooling system dimensions and material quality in one go. Not only applied to casted blades, but also to wax models in the early stages of the product life cycle. Inspection for outer and inner dimensions (wall thicknesses, overdrills) and defects or cracks. Easily export results to Q-DAS for statistical analysis.
CT Analysis
Process Control and Analytics
Products used
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