Aerospace manufacturing

Scenario Overview

Aerospace manufacturing involves the connection and assembly of a large number of thin-walled pipes, plates, and structural components. Thin walled titanium alloy conduits with a wall thickness of only 1mm to 2mm are commonly used for the transmission of fuel, lubricating oil, air and other media in aircraft engines. Traditional welding faces difficulties in controlling deformation, argon gas protection, and connecting dissimilar materials.

Ruiyi RUIYI hot melt drill instantly softens the metal at high temperatures and extrudes the liner into a liner within 2-6 seconds. The thickness of the liner is 3-5 times that of the original plate, and it is threaded with an extrusion tap, providing a lightweight connection solution for aviation thin-walled pipes and structural components as an alternative to welding nuts.

Applicable scenarios: aviation hydraulic pipeline connection, fuel pipe joint assembly, titanium alloy skin drilling and riveting holes, wing structural component connection, aviation engine pipeline assembly.

Industry pain points

Thin walled titanium alloy conduit welding deformation is difficult to control → With a wall thickness of only 1mm~2mm, uneven welding heat is prone to welding leakage, pipe wall deformation and collapse, residual stress after weld cooling leads to uncontrollable deformation, which cannot be corrected in the later stage, and pipe components are scrapped.

Welding protection is difficult and the quality is unstable → The inner wall of the thin-walled titanium alloy conduit is cylindrical, making it difficult to achieve argon gas protection during repair welding; The manual argon arc welding of thin-walled aluminum alloy pipelines requires high operator skills and unstable quality.

Difficulty in connecting dissimilar materials and composite materials → The connection between titanium alloy and aluminum alloy laminates, and metal and carbon fiber composite materials has become a challenge, and traditional welding and riveting are difficult to balance structural strength and weight reduction requirements.

Quantification effect

Lining thickness: 3-5 times the original plate thickness (wall thickness 0.5-4mm aviation thin-walled pipe fittings).

Hole wall roughness: Ra ≤ 0.8 μ m, aperture tolerance ± 0.02mm (based on testing data from similar projects in the industry).

Thread strength: higher than traditional welded threads (extruded metal fiber continuous+surface cold hardening layer).

Single hole processing time: 2-6 seconds (aperture M3-M16, wall thickness 0.5-4mm).

Process reduction: Replace drilling+welding/riveting with 2-3 processes (one-time molding, no need for subsequent polishing).

Comprehensive cost: reduced by about 30-40% (compared to traditional drilling+welding nut process, based on industry similar project operation data).

Product configuration

Core processing tool: Ruiyi RUIYI hot melt drill (hard alloy material) - suitable for aviation materials such as titanium alloy, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, etc., forming holes and liners in 2-6 seconds.

Supporting materials: Extrusion tap - extruded high-strength thread, continuous metal fiber.

Supporting materials: Hot melt paste - stable operation at -20 ℃ to+1500 ℃, extending the life of the drill bit.

Supporting materials: Tapping oil - pressure anti-wear, improves workpiece smoothness and thread quality.

Supporting materials: Heat dissipation tool holder and chuck - reduce spindle temperature and ensure high-speed rotation accuracy.

Process services: scheme design and technical support - providing customized parameter schemes based on workpiece material, wall thickness, and aperture.

Technical services: on-site debugging and operation training - on-site guidance from the engineering team.

Hot melt drilling process description

Ruiyi RUIYI hot melt drilling processing advantages

No chips - the thread can withstand tension and torque, and the processing process does not require the removal of waste materials.

High forming accuracy - High forming accuracy on the convex platform, stable hole position accuracy.

Strong adaptability - suitable for various tapping machines, can be adapted to manual bench drills, ordinary drilling machines, milling machines, and CNC machining centers.

High efficiency and longevity - high speed and long lifespan, improving production.

has a wide range of materials - suitable for a variety of materials that can be hot-melt drilled, including ordinary steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and other ductile metals.

Hot melt drilling process

Preparation: Ensure the power is turned on, preheat the hot melt drill bit for about 5-10 minutes, and prepare the cutting tools and auxiliary tools.

Select drill bit: Choose the appropriate hot-melt drill bit specification based on the material and thickness of the workpiece being processed. Short drills are used for workpieces below 2.5mm, and long drills are used for workpieces above 2.5mm.

Marking and positioning: Use a height ruler to mark the cross centerline of the hole position, and use a vernier caliper or steel ruler to inspect.

Drilling: When manually feeding, maintain a regular and uniform feeding speed without stopping; Quickly release the handle when the bottom of the drill bit reaches the surface of the workpiece.

Post drilling treatment: Immediately remove the hot melt drill bit after drilling is completed to prevent the drill bit from getting stuck or breaking due to cooling shrinkage of the hole.

Usage precautions: Hot melt drill bits are made of hard alloy and are prone to breakage. Be careful when using them and do not drop them on the ground or strike the drill bit with any object. Use hot melt paste specifically designed for hot melt drill bits for lubrication, instead of traditional coolant.

Hot melt drill materials and parameters

Hot melt drills are suitable for ductile metal materials such as low carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, etc., and can also be used to process electroplated workpieces. Zinc and tin materials cannot be used. When processing stainless steel, the diameter of the hot melt drill should be increased by 0.1mm and the drilling speed should be reduced by 15% for thread holes M6 and above. When processing aluminum or other non-ferrous metals, increase the drilling speed by 50%.