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Printed from: http://www.clinkenbeard.com/news/details/Index.cfm?id=77
Date/Time: Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:44:27 PM GMT-07:00
Clinkenbeard's Speed-to-Market Capabilities Featured in Design World Magazine Case Study
Published: Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Clinkenbeard, a Rockford, Illinois-based company that specializes in the rapid prototyping and manufacturing of complex castings and machined parts, announced today that Design World magazine published in its March 2009 issue a case study that explained how Clinkenbeard applied its speed-to-market and CNC capabilities to help restore the main beam of the World War II F4U Corsair fighter aircraft.
The story appeared in Design World’s special Digital Manufacturing Review issue and was titled, “Modern Prototypes Help Old Fighter Fly Again. “ The article can be accessed at www.makepartsfast.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2197.
In the article, Clinkenbeard is cited as applying its CNC rapid prototyping capabilities so that the company restoring the aircraft, Connecticut Corsair, was able to refurbish the main beam of the fighter plane in time to appear at SolidWorks World Conference 2009 Show, which took place in Orlando, Florida, in February.
Many of the Corsair main beam parts were quite complex and had to be cast out of aluminum to support the weight of the overall assembly. Clinkenbeard needed to go from 3D CAD data to machined 356T6 aluminum castings in ten days or less for each of approximately 35 parts.
Clinkenbeard’s CNC solution was to machine the aluminum castings quickly in one of its Fadal 40 x 20 x 30-inch 5 axis vertical milling centers. The 5th axis avoids multiple fixtures and setups, which allowed the firm to meet the critical delivery schedule.
Through use of Clinkenbeard’s CNC rapid prototyping services, Connecticut Corsair was able to complete a 3D part, email it, and have it on Clinkenbeard’s production line within minutes. Clinkenbeard made a total of approximately 35 part numbers in aluminum as well as plastic in less than three weeks.
According to Craig McBurney of Connecticut Corsair, the responsiveness and the capabilities of this CNC rapid prototype work is the single most important factor in the on-time delivery of the complex main beam for the old fighter plane.