ABSTRACT

This chapter describes the development of an in-process inspection system which is being used in production to close the loop around a turning operation in the fabrication of rotating components for gas turbine engines, primarily compressor and turbine disks. The Tool Touch Auditron (TTA) is a contacting, indirect device which plays an integral role as a static sensor in a closed-loop machining (CLM) system which was retrofitted onto a turret lathe. A performance plan was put together to evaluate the touch location repeatability of the TTA. The touch location repeatability evaluation was based on numbers produced by the MC 1050T controller. In anticipation of the machining trials on disks and spools, several improvements were made in the CLM system after the initial experiments had been run. The interface between the TTA and the 1050 control was modified to improve the reliability of the touch probe operation.