The manufacturing challenge of CMCs

As the push for sustainability and emissions reduction is ever increasing, the aerospace industry finds itself required to innovate more than ever. Meanwhile, decarbonizing the industry is particularly challenging since traditional solutions can be difficult to implement in this sector. Aerospace manufacturers have however been able to apply some new technologies to the industry, such as new materials and new manufacturing methods.

Today, ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are the new lightweight and high-strength materials that are gaining momentum. An example of CMCs is SiC/SiC composites (SiC fibers in a SiC matrix). SiC/SiC are the material of choice for applications in aerospace and energy, where their resistance to high temperatures, corrosion, and wear makes them an excellent option. However, due to the complex nature of CMCs (heterogeneous structure, anisotropic thermal and mechanical behaviour, and high hardness), machining CMCs can be extremely challenging with conventional processes. Drills tend to wear rapidly on the hard structure of CMCs and tools breakage happens more frequently. Additionally, delamination can be induced by the machining process. On the other hand, traditional laser machining has the disadvantage of creating a heat affected zone (HAZ). Finding a good manufacturing method for these materials can therefore be a challenge.

At Synova, we intend to be at the forefront of innovation and ready to meet the requirements of these new materials. Our Laser MicroJet? (LMJ) technology has shown to achieve great results for the machining of ultra-hard materials, in particular CMCs, such as SiC/SiC composites. The LMJ machines offer great machining precision and consistency. Additionally, thanks to the water jet, we are capable of ablating material with no/very low HAZ. Does Synova’s technology seem like the miracle solution? Well, machining time can be larger than with conventional methods. Nevertheless, LMJ is an interesting solution when accuracy and surface integrity matter the most or for small features when traditional tools tend to break prematurely.