Weight reduction is an important consideration when designing and building parts for the aerospace industry. But engineers don’t always need to rely on sharp corners and tiny radii to meet these crucial specifications. The tooling required to machine unique geometries is often expensive and time-consuming—if it even exists at all. 

How can aerospace engineers reduce weight in parts and components without increasing cost and lead time? 

A simple conversation with this Denver machine shop can help you find a solution. Here are some of the tips we give aerospace engineers to reduce weight in their initial designs. 

Weight Reduction Tips That Won’t Increase Cost or Lead Time 

Focused on Machining has extensive experience manufacturing high-quality, custom-machined parts and components for aerospace industry customers, so we encounter weight reduction challenges all the time. We’ve found several strategies for reducing weight that make life easier for engineers and machine shops:

• Avoid small pockets. When a design includes shapes with sharp corners, such as triangles or squares, the inside pockets are often so tiny that it takes us up to 25 minutes to tool a single shape. Just think of all the milling required! If small pockets are absolutely necessary for your design, a drill hole is a much faster option that often accomplishes the same goal. 

• Stick to circular shapes. If you don’t need a special shape, don’t use one. Circular shapes are almost always easier and faster for us to drill than anything with sharp corners. 

• Use a standard wall thickness. Decreasing wall thickness from 0.06” to 0.03” may seem like a simple way to reduce weight, but you’ll pay more for this non-standard size. Eliminating a fraction of a pound usually isn’t worth the extra cost when there are better ways to drop ounces.

• Increase the radius. A tiny radius can have a big impact on the amount of time it takes for us to create a pocket. If you’re designing a square pocket for weight reduction purposes, include at least a ⅛” radius. Any opportunity for us to use a ¼” tool cuts cost and lead time significantly.

Focused on Machining Case Study

We recently received a design featuring pockets with sharp corners and a tiny radius. We knew that machining these pockets would be time-consuming and labor-intensive. We’d have to machine out a large portion with a big tool and then use a small radius tool to meet the specifications. 

How did we solve this problem? 

First, we contacted the customer to discuss their design. When we determined that the pockets were for weight reduction only, we increased the size of the radius and reduced labor time by nearly 10 minutes per pocket. And yes, we still achieved the weight the customer needed!

There will always be parts—aerospace or otherwise—that require sharp-cornered pockets, 0.03” wall thicknesses, or tiny radii. If these specifications are key features of your part, we’ll absolutely take the time to machine the precise pockets you need. But when weight reduction is your goal, let’s figure out how to cut cost and lead time as much as possible.

Are you searching for the right Denver machine shop for your next aerospace project? Look no further! Request a quote today and we’ll be glad to assist you.