5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

It's only wax, but it's still badass.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdWWvnrFA9k

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

that's sick

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

That machine is sweet. I remember on American Chopper when they toured FLOW Corp. there were some turbo wheels on display from their 5-axis machine.

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

I work on a 4 axis lathe everyday making bearing races for aerospace and helicopter companies

let me tell you, when these fuckers crash (aka ---- running into eachother) ---- does it ever do a lot of damage.

Parts are $$$ to

Never seen a 5axis like that though, pretty cool

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

I saw a 5 axis machine porting a Ford V8 head. It was pretty slick to watch.

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

I friend of mine who ports heads is proably going that route. Oddly though cnc heads still get finished by hand atleast the ones I have seen.

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

Yeah they rough them in and then hand finish them but damn its cuts alot of work out.

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

Check out some of the other vids on youtube. Some of them are prgrammed to do finishing, like ataching sanding drums.

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

omfg I can only imagine.

Re: 5-axis Machining a Compressor Wheel
 

Woah that's cool to see.
They machine the wheel out of wax because they make the compressor wheels by investment casting, which process is just as impressive:

basically, that wax pattern is coated in sequences of soaking in diffrent slurries and powered with gradually increasing grits of sands (fine grit first for smooth surface finish, coarser grit later for mold strenght), resulting in a SHELL around the wax pattern. This shell is then put in an autoclave where the wax melts down almost instantly and leaks out of the shell leaving an open cavity of the exact dimensions of the compressor wheel. This fragile mold is then put in a furnace where the layered shell transforms in a solid ceramic mold, while it'S still glowing red, aluminum is poured in the mold and immediately put in a pressurized vessel to force any bubles out before it solidifies. Once cooled down, the shell is boken with high pressure waterjets, the sprue for pouring the aluminum in is cut off, the extremities of the blades are machined to the desired trim, as well as the shaft hole and the bottom of the wheel, it gets balanced and there you go.