Seal Ring for F-18 Hornet

The problem was a 303 Stainless Steel Aircraft seal ring with a very small face groove at multiple depths and very thin walls on the outer diameter and inner diameter. The standard manufacturing process produced 18 pieces per hour and used three different tools to process the face groove. The process utilized a rough groove tool, a finish groove tool, and a necking tool for an undercut. The machine spindle was limited to 2000-RPM max. To improve this process, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining NCDMM applied form-ground carbide inserts with a thicker cross section to provide stronger radial relief. The roughing tool was ground to meet the form of the component, eliminating the need to generate the groove form by programming. The finishing tool was ground to form including a relieved area for cutting the undercut portion to eliminate the need for a separate necking tool. The tool path also was changed to accommodate the thin walls. The tool path started from the face of the part working towards the chuck of the machine to avoid side loading insert. If side loading was required, the feed rate was reduced to reduce the cutting pressure.