7. A New Approach for the Production of Blades by Hybrid Processes

Manufacturing complex surfaces for high responsibility rotary components is critical in several applications, such as blades for turbomachinery, forged crankpins, iron casting crankshafts, grooved features of long power shafts and others. Nowadays there is a trend toward the performance of all required operations in the same machine tool, following the so-called multitasking approach. Traditional machine tools kinematic has developed into a new concept of multitasking machine, and even other non traditional processes such as laser tempering, laser cladding, rolling or burnishing are performed in the same machine and workpiece setup. In this chapter a new approach for the production of blades is deeply explained. A hybrid process for blades manufacturing is performed in a multitasking machine, by successive application of three no usual processes: turn-milling for cylindrical part definition, turn-ball-milling for contouring free form surfaces and finally burnishing for improving both final roughness and fatigue endurance. The outcome of this new approach is the obtaintion of functional complex parts with high integrity, quality and shortened lead times.