Late in the Fall 2021 semester, I began creating CAM for a mid-airframe connector as part of Purdue Space Program. This connector is vital to the assembly of our rocket, as it holds together 2 parts of our airframe!

I began machining the part at Purdue’s Bechtel Innovation Design Center during the first week of the Spring 2022 semester. To machine this part, I first used a Haas ST-20Y lathe to create the outer profile of the connector (shown in the image above). This was an iterative process and took multiple attempts as it was critical that the outer diameter of this connector fit perfectly with the airframe. I ran the program multiple times, changing the Stock to Leave parameter each time until the connector fit perfectly with the airframe.

Next, I used a Haas VF-4 mill (5-axis enabled) to hollow out and profile the inside of the connector (shown in the first image above). I began the operation by drilling 16 tapped holes through the side of the connector. These holes will later be used to secure the airframe to the connector. This was interesting to me, as it allowed me to further learn Tool Orientation: essentially, orienting the part within the CNC machine so that features can be machined at an angle. The remainder of this operation was fairly simple. I would use a 2D Adaptive path to clear out large chunks of stock around a certain feature(s), and then follow it with a finishing pass to remove any aesthetic flaws.

See more @ PurdueSEDS.space