Machining Waspaloy: The Fiercest Super Alloy You've Never Seen

[@Erik-rp1hi]

I work for HiShear an aerospace fastener co. They do large lots for Boeing and Airbus. For big bolts like this one they would invest in tooling to Hot stamp the head, grind the shank, hot roll the thread after heat treating. Maybe also roll radius or Roll Burnishing the head/shank radius for higher strength. Then the part goes to plating for what ever is called out.

[@theorangebaron1595]

Fascinating

[@johnathanmandrake7240]

So mostly no "cutting"? I guess that makes sense. If you don't need to, don't.

[@ЖелезнаяЖизнь]

Какая твёрдость по Роквелу у этого материала, после закалки?

[@bluerider0988]

​@@johnathanmandrake7240Rolled threads are stronger too.

[@dvanevski]

25-30Hrc after age hardening ​@@ЖелезнаяЖизнь

[@JWimpy]

That is one really expensive bolt. CNC machines always amaze me. And what is even more amazing are the machinists that program the setup of a part.

[@mw8580]

I used to turn Waspaloy to make high performance bolts for F1.

[@nielsoudegriep2900]

Is it like the headbolts?

[@drd1924]

@@nielsoudegriep2900 Likely that and Conrod bolts, Im curious as well

[@nielsoudegriep2900]

@@drd1924 i think hes being held hostage by his f1 team already for spreading the secret weapon is waspaloy🤫🤣

[@drd1924]

@@nielsoudegriep2900 Very likely, he needs to be more covert, We call it Plutonium nitrided Hornetalloy, but those in the know, know what we're talkin bout. lol

[@killman369547]

@@nielsoudegriep2900 If i had to guess, the head bolts, the conrod bolts, the crankshaft bolts and any other bolt that's going to be subjected to extreme stress.

[@markconroy9448]

I have machined this material a few times before and the knowledge you gain on the manual machine really helps the speeds and feeds for when you need to program a CNC !

[@ZZZHarpy101]

Question🤔. Why do material engineers provide data sheets for Waspaloy if machinists prefer to guess speeds and feeds on trial and errors?

[@JaenEngineering]

​@@ZZZHarpy101the data sheets might contain very in depth data about the material properties (yield strength, hardenability, tempco. etc) but the machining data is more guidance to get you close as there are way too many other factors, such as tool type or machine rigidity and resonances, to give concise information.

[@F30586]

What RPM is he getting at 100 SFM?

[@drewjohnson4794]

A 3 inch diameter piece needs to spin at 127.333333 revolutions per minute to achieve 100 SFM. Surface footage depends on the diameter of tool or piece to calculate. 1.5 inch piece would be double the rpm.

[@sminkles]

I had the pleasure of turning this on a big DSG lathe. A special "one off "for an oil company. It certainly was a massive learning curve for me!!

[@TheSMPeto32]

I'm literally VTL turning a Waspaloy turbine disk now... Using a 3/8 button since I don't have to get into any tight corners. The bigger radius will last waaaaay longer, for anyone that may need to know.. also a lesser depth of cut helps a ton too, but I'm using a totally different composition of insert, so I may have to order up a 433 like this guy is using. Good stuff!

[@Hydrazine1000]

Nickel based superalloy with, let's see, 18-21 % chromium, which is ok, 12-15 % cobalt, which is YIKES!, a significant 3.5-5 % molybdenum for increased corrosion resistance, around 3% titanium and about 1.5% aluminium, to form intermetallics (it is age-hardening), a few knife tips of carbon, boron and zircon, and the rest is incidental, so only a max. value, not a minimum required concentration. Yeah, I don't need to _see_ this alloy (congrats, you guys are the first to show it to me!) because the chemical composition tells it all. This is one nasty mother trucker!

[@christopherleubner6633]

Sounds like the metallic equivalent of dragon scales. It would be both hard and tough. 😮

[@Vei2aC]

wow this guys metallurgy is on another planet, verry cool and intresting, i am a blacksmith, so i understand, but not on the level you do =] , like i said, impressive, thanx for the comment sir, appreciate you, Kindest regards.

[@gibbygaming792]

Working in a foundry that makes this stuff, don't worry, melting and alloying it is just as much of a pain as machining it is!

[@ctc2469]

@@gibbygaming792 yes it is worked as an operator making these superalloys for 15 yrs (portland,or)

[@gibbygaming792]

@@ctc2469 we make everything from the iron-bearing alloys to to the crazy expensive hafnium-bearing ones, quite the rainbow of alloys and compositions!

[@d.russell8303]

Been doing this for 33yrs..... its child's play. Very well documented process, and I do appreciate the attention to the c-axis orientation irrelevance on the sub-spindle ops.

[@MJ-iy4fb]

Interesting field of work. I am considering being a machinist and I'm wondering what the top end pay would be these days for a guy with some experience, care to share? Maybe a ballpark figure?

[@d.russell8303]

The work itself I have found to be very satisfying, but we have to pay the bills at the end of the day... I believe the national average is somewhere north of $70k for a seasoned machinist. That of course varies greatly by location. That being said, in Northern Vermont I earn $110K+

[@glennjames7107]

I used to weld Waspalloy, Inconel, Monel, and a lot of other aircraft engine alloys. I worked for a company called Chromalloy which was an FAA lic. repair station. We reconditioned hot section parts and combustion chambers for a large variety of commercial aircraft engines. I worked mostly on JT-9D Pratt and Whitney parts, and GE LM-2500 parts.

[@vanguard9067]

Very cool!

[@legoguyver7459]

TACR?

[@ctc2469]

Its cool to see things being made with this alloy i worked at a foundry making these types of alloy (wasp,hastelloy x,718 etc) for 15yrs

[@MrWhatnext]

I used to run this stuff on a turret lathe many years ago. We used cutting oil, low rpm and heavy feeds. Sharp tools are a must.

[@Orgakoyd]

Very interested to learn more about the ''manual'', or I guess ''mechanically automated control'' machining of this stuff! Were the tools you used similar to what the screw machine operators would use? i.e brazed carbide touched up on Agathon grinders type of thing?

[@Dillybar777]

YES MORE TYSON! THE RETURN OF THE KING!

[@drokles2125]

I have heard stories from my coworkers about how some gas turbine blades we make sometimes for Siemens and they are made of that stuff. The machine that runs it shakes so much when it begins to mill that you can feel the vibrations in the floor on the other side of the factory floor. We haven’t made them while I have worked there though so i can’t say if it is true or not but maybe someday I’ll see it for myself

[@apersonontheinternet8006]

It is true.

[@lewisbolman7862]

May check your mounting feet , we have a vmc that will vibrate the feet up , walked by once could move machine.

[@walid7820]

I confirm that 😂

[@trevorgoforth8963]

Nice work Tyson! Thanks for taking us through the entire process!

[@F30586]

Why doesn’t he show what the actual RPM was he was turning that at?

[@Jh_93641]

Two reasons. One, it is changing to maintain surface footage. Two, its not the number we are concerned about. Think of it like this, if you take a car tire (off the car) and roll it one time on the ground and mark the length it rolls. Now do the same with a soup can. You see the different circumferences? One revolution has produced dramatically different line length. We want to control how fast the tip of the tool moves a certain distance, not how fast it spins one time, which changes with diameter. So, umm, boom i guess?

[@nicholassoobramoney1259]

Absolutely amazing....I can't say more than loved the part transfer the 2nd op was defining and what a beautiful approach. You killed it mate

[@FutureAIDev2015]

Where the heck do you get your music? It's absolutely incredible! If I can find a playlist that I can listen to for hours I would be so happy.

[@alteredfatez]

Great video. Mechanical work of art. Love your programming explanations.

[@AVATARComander]

I learned about this stuff from my parents on an awesome take your kid to work day. Turbo machinery is very interesting

[@larryblount3358]

I am amazed that a part stick out thatvfar did not cause tool chatter. That wasp metal is tuff stuff. I expect the aluminum was more of a challenge in the prototyping and used for filming purposes. Thank you for the VIDEO.

[@mehmettemel8725]

There was fine chatter during roughing which was removed by the finishing tool.Chatter was loud and clear during roughing.

[@daveb1870]

Try stellite 31. I used to make the pins that pushed out the old glass headlights thats had the four protrusions on the backside. B4 heat treat they would eat an insert about every 3 parts. This was 1988-89. Then after heat treat they came back and centerless ground everything with tolerances like +.0000 -.0002 you dressed the wheel every pin.

[@rrobins9857]

I worked for Schlosser forge in Cali, and we used alot of waspalloy in tooling for our ring mills

[@rowanhaigh8782]

As someone who knows nothing about machining and manufacturing, I found this completely entrancing.❤

[@hindleygj]

I don't think I've ever subscribed so fast to someone's channel.

[@shug831]

First came across Waspalloy in Rolls-Royce back in the early 1990's. Machining ring sections for jet engines, took a lot of testing to get the operation sequence correct.

[@rolandtamaccio3285]

Very thorough presentation , thank-you ,,, !

[@paulsalvestrin7253]

I machine that stuff everyday for metallurgical testing along with 718, 890, X750, S188 and a few other superalloys for aerospace applications. It is pretty hard on tooling but like this guy says cut depth, feeds and speeds are the key to it. You can hit it pretty hard on roughing cuts ( .080" cut) as long as it's chucked properly but it is only one pass per tool. I find spindle speeds are probably the most important parameter.

[@KylieGranno]

Great work Tyson! Speeds and feeds are KING!

[@LTV_inc]

Nice work! I designed a lot of machine parts and love how you guys figure out how to make them! 😊

[@opendstudio7141]

The pain shows up when attempting to bore and thread smaller diameter features on super alloys.

[@paradiselost9946]

lol, making a throttle shaft from Ti... the slot and the two M3 holes tested me. i quickly decided that sharpening the broken taps was the best approach... short and stumpy :) only got Ti as i couldnt find steel in ground 7mm dia... cheaply, anyway. "give it a go, huh"?

[@geekswithfeet9137]

@@paradiselost9946people under estimate the power of just shortening tools all the way up. Did a bunch of 2d cut out work with 1.2mm aluminium sheet, ground my own bits to 1.3mm off the shank. Was able to drive it about 10x faster than the code that was handed to me…. People quickly stopped double guessing me “Removing 90% percent of the lifetime of the tool”….. who cares, you pay me 2 of those tools an hour, but i just created 10 machines worth of production. Who cares if I go through 1 a day.

[@TheLtVoss]

It dosnt confuses me that small parts out of though stuff is often run on EDM

[@jacog999]

I used to be a metal spinner , not a cnc metal spinner!!!!i mean a manual hand spinner, in the aerospace industry. Ive spun waspalloy so many times a nd trimmed it by hand . As a sheet metal its pretty tough aswell to bend and spin

[@gaiustacitus4242]

I was machining high nickel content alloys, including Waspaloy, Hastelloy, and Inconel, when I was 25 years old. That was so very long ago, but I remember it like it was only yesterday.

[@Built_it_by-alex]

I know a thing or two about what you're saying but I mostly love watching the machine put in some work

[@precisiond2236]

Machined this decades ago, at Boeings real machine shop, for the space shuttle engines.

[@hoopergraham]

Excellent job Tyson.

[@samueltaylor4989]

When you pushed the part into the chuck, the jaws had enough of a radius to let the bolt seat to the face of the jaws and not interfere with the radius on the inside corner of the bolt?

[@shaniegust1225]

Another great video Tyson. Always sooo easy to follow. 💪

[@Skook91]

Good explanation, you do a good job explaining what each process does. Would this be a candidate for ceramic turning? Obviously this is for demonstration purposes, but I definitely see how having a (B?) head isn't a 'fixall' for all situations, turret tools can get much close and you can reduce hangouts a whole bunch.

[@allancnc]

Water with high pressure trough the tool pointing directly on the tip of the insert can also reduce wear and you can increase speeds and feeds. 10% coolant solution is also an advantage in these difficult to cut materials.

[@markdavis304]

Good work Tyson👏

[@mikedeadspace8052]

I work on this everyday! Parts for the F22 🔥🔥🔥

[@vobchopper]

If you think that's tough try nimonic PK33, I used to work in a superalloy production facility, it was hard to just cut the billets with an abrasive wheel

[@KellyYerkes]

It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.

[@klauth_Yksyn]

Wonderful material! I've welded quite a bit of it over the years for turbo machinery shops.

[@tktspeed1433]

Mastercam sure seems a lot easier than writing the code by hand

[@verakoo6187]

I mean that is kinda it's whole point lol

[@Tunkkis]

It definitely is.

[@jimmyk6336]

When Smart Cam and Master Cam came on the scene I was able to ditch my tablet for jotting down code, calculator, trig book, speed / feed calculator and never had to proof read another tape or enter anymore data line after line by hand. Those platforms made life so much easier and opened up the machining world to the future and beyond...

[@gh0s742]

I would love to see a high res/high frame rate thermal cam video of cuts into these super alloys

[@theom7476]

Cool part, cool video. I've never used that material but you cut it well. Why do you use a tapered endmill to finish the star pattern instead of a straight endmill in an axial (horisontal) orientation to the part? Is the parts corner radius too small to allow a suitable endmill to generate the shape properly in that orientation?

[@Vei2aC]

That is a thing of beauty, im the sort of person that could spend hours looking at a nicely machined part, than an real beautiful sculpture, well machined parts ARE sculptures anyway, this part gives me warm feelings, really love the surface finish, so pleasing, this video is prosented in such a detailed way, and VERRY good quality, it so sickening how good it is, i sit here like WOOOOOOOOOW, look at that, ooow, ahhhhhhhh, THANK you SO much for the satisfying factual video, 1000/10 for sure, Best wishes to you and family, and keep up this GREAT content, i want to see more, so ofcourse im subbing, thanx SO much for exsisting in this world good sir, you are a giant to me.

[@MLGxBXRxPRO]

I work in a machine shop in Vegas and all we turn is monel inconel and waspaloy

[@smoke3090]

They have conventional or CNC machines

[@Blown460]

I feel sorry for you bro, no aluminium butter...

[@christopherleubner6633]

This stuff would be a lot worse than monel. That stuff is just tough and a bit gummy, this stuff is like IRL adamantium with its chemical makeup, all it would need would be a few percent tungsten and it would be nearly impossible to machine with anything short of EDM.😮.

[@F30586]

You ever turned MP35N?

[@luvmechanix]

It must be squeaky in there

[@danielmoreira1003]

Lots of information, thanks

[@philipdean7534]

I would love to see you guys machine some bronze parts, specifically the type found on sea vessels. I currently work with that material as a new manual machinist, aspiring to be a CNC machinist some day.

[@apersonontheinternet8006]

Haha here is the secret to machining bronze, let it cool before you take your measurments.

[@karltite128]

This is over my head, but damn I love veiwing. Carry on.

[@ryanclarke2161]

Tyson is such a wizard

[@Nate-vh7et]

saw an "air knife" gopro case build a while ago, seemed like a decent amount of work but results were super nice. Edge Precision was the creator. you can also make 3d printed ones but cant say how well those work/last

[@F30586]

I just started a set up on some MP35N material. This stuff is hard!! I started at 100 SFM right from the gate. So far so good.

[@InssiAjaton]

I have never seen Waspalloy being machined. But I have seen a sheet metal item butt welded with TIG. A beautiful seam without filler metal. If I remember, it was also done without back-up gas. The part was likely a special nozzle, shaped as a partly flattened cone, i.e. an elliptical cross section. The welding required rather funny shape tooling.

[@semperfidelis8386]

What do you people do now? Are you a shop....making parts for customers? Are you a school? What exactly are you all into?

[@trevorgoforth8963]

Our company is dedicated to creating high level educational CNC machining content like this. Our goal is to bring awareness to the trade and educate people to help give them a skillset that will allow them feed their families. In addition, we will also take on unique projects for customers like machining Brandon Herrera's AK50 and making a custom billet front grille for Gas Monkey Garage. We are also continuously developing our free online CNC academy and CNCEXPERT which is a platform built specifically for CNC machinists!

[@Optimiser113]

Making money I would suggest.

[@emilkofod]

Titans of CNC is basically a showroom for machine and tool manufacturers, every video you see is pretty much an ad for Machine/Tool/CAM solutions. You might also learn something in these videos. But don't go around thinking they make these videos purely for educational purposes.

[@lst1nwndrlnd]

Everything fun and profitable

[@semperfidelis8386]

@@emilkofod Thanks....how do you all make money??

[@nickmolloy9563]

Would be nice to know exactly what that fastener was fitted to and used for. The one detail you omitted. Thanks.

[@davidg3944]

It's a showpiece, not intended for any function except to show the process and tooling using to cut Waspaloy. A "real" aerospace fastener like that would have a 12-point (not 8) drive, and more likely be forged and roll-threaded instead of cut thread (for toughness and thread flank surface finish quality).

[@davegill8634]

Awesome Content As Always Tyson 👍

[@chaosanddarknessdescends538]

so, I see this switching between waspaloy and aluminum, is the aluminum one being done either as a test or as an example to show us without lubricant etc. so we can better see what's happeningi with the waspaloy on a less evil metal?

[@BjornFSE]

Very Informative. Great. This is something I'd love to get into for a living. Basic Machinist Here. (No CNC Exp, all manual)

[@punkerz250]

15:04 The sound of the wasp ! 😄

[@lomobster]

is waspaloy easier or harder to machine than inconel? In my shop we never run inconel above 90 SF/M. These speeds and feeds seem high.

[@davidg3944]

The cobalt added to the alloy likely makes it more difficult than most of the Inconel family.

[@F30586]

What rpm is he using? What does 100 SFM calculate to for a piece that diameter?

[@risengdesign]

Sounds like some seriously tough material! :D

[@MJ-iy4fb]

Can you tell us how much one of those bolts would cost when finished?

[@brucejenner5856]

Just seen this!!!!!! Please can someone tell me about this freeze and cool process as regards CNC tooling?

[@JohnDoe-fn1me]

This is so damn cool in 1000 different ways! I would pay for a guided tour and even to do some work 😁

[@1endehand2endebush]

Never realized how scary this stuff is, unfortunately the craftsman has gone wayward to the computer, good luck everyone

[@1endehand2endebush]

And I mean this from the bottom of my heart, technologically absolutely astonishing- understanding technology astonishing- the capability of actually doing it without a computer-scary

[@benkokes]

How much machinig time is this?

[@F30586]

I have a couple of questions here. Why are you clamping on the thread at pick off, but then pausing and pushing the part all the way in so you’re clamping on that clean shaft and up against the flange face after? Why not just do all that at pick off?

[@antscaleeez7924]

Hi i was wondering if the online cnc acadamy would help me working woth cnc's that work woth stone and like granite, quartzite etc. I have 7 years experience and can run some pretty advanced stuff, but i am always interested in learning everything about it. Working witg metals is fairly similar, just a little more percision but i was wondering if the academy would help me with that. Thanks

[@UlyssesLouise]

Everyone can taste success when the going is easy, but few know how to taste victory when times get tough.

[@PrudenceEdison]

Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.

[@glenndwyer5786]

Nice part, I'd love to be able to program the star pattern

[@biytor9071]

You guys ever use a set of spindle nose attachments with collets?

[@AaronAlso]

Speeds and feeds are key, but triple checking tool path has never failed me.

[@CERBERUS6349]

Cam anyone tell me the diff between wasponel and waspalloy?

[@dragonslayer3815]

Why do you think that taper would help with tool life? I am very curious.

[@davidg3944]

Stiffer tool than a regular ball endmill, cutting down chatter and resultant edge fracture.

[@karlanm925]

In dental we use chrome cobalt alloys for dentures, its a total pain to finish by hand (wax up needs to be as close as possible, and sprue shouldn't be any bigger than need). However I consistently meet people who have had partials for 50+ years. Bego Wironit is Co 64.0 · Cr 28.5 · Mo 5.0 · Si 1.0 · Mn 1.0 · C

[@joshbaker2374]

Can't think of a part, however I'm curious if there's a way to program and make a detailed miniature like perhaps the arbiter from halo as an example. Without layering or any tooling marks, just smooth nice finish in titanium or something nifty like that, done in let's say 30mm tabletop gaming to minimize material waste and it'd be nifty if possible. I've seen dice and other simpler designs so figured eh why not toss that idea. Or a custom tool chest completely made from parts y'all made with machining in mind?

[@verakoo6187]

It's not impossible but the price tag for somethin like that would be in the $1000's lol. Alot more logical to 3d print/mold stuff like that

[@joshbaker2374]

@@verakoo6187 Eh I was thinking it'd be neat to see em program and make something like that as it'd be different yet interesting. Especially if they do a walk through of the reasoning for how and why they did each thing as they did. Something like that just happens to be similar to my other interests so I mentioned it, I already have the ability to print em if desired. It's more or less just a huh toss idea out there see if they or someone likes it enough to try it and make a video about it.

[@DanaPowell-l7q]

Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical.Expect more than others think is possible.

[@tommooe4524]

Very interesting…..approximately what would a bolt like this cost to fabricate ?

[@travisjarrett2355]

Some gnarly stuff for sure! If you know you know!

[@damianschlumpf3069]

Hi I really enjoyed this video👍 Is there a reason why you didn't use a continuous spiral path for the finishing pass of the star?

[@ericcleland817]

How much does it cost for this type of bolt to be machined?

[@JeanEzekiel-n1p]

I thought red would have felt warmer in summer but I didn't think about the equator.

[@ghammer9773]

"Going a little light for the threading" sounded very uncharacteristic of both this channel and the alloy, but that chip tells me "a little light" was still pretty aggressive

[@samstewart4807]

Hi H ow much money did you charge for each one of those parts??

[@nikolaishriver7922]

What if you put a spring-cushioned type of ram into a tool slot, and used that to automatically set the part back into the second chuck? I mean, assuming you're making more than a handful.

[@andrescheuer4400]

Titan if this is your son I would have my chest explode with pride I used to follow you way back when and this is not that scared young man from then❤

[@stevesloan6775]

Wild stuff! What is the conductivity difference of Wasp, compared to other metals like steel? Asking for a friend. :) : ]]

[@archimedesCNC]

did you really grip on that radius in the 2nd op?

[@davidg3944]

They must have chamfered the ends of the jaws to clear the radius. I wondered about it too when I saw him run the piece up the chuck.

[@F30586]

I want to know why at pick off, why he didn’t feed all the way up to the flange face in the first place. I was taught to never clamp on threads.

[@nicke5786]

Hey Tyson What do you normally set your G50 max rpm at?

[@tvrv9774]

I'm curious why you didn't rough the bolt head in a continuous path around it. It would have actually helped the heat load and saved a ton of extra hops. You did this with the ball endmill... hops = time lost. I mean i guess that's okay if you're just doing it for a video... but still I was expected to find the minimum time per part.

[@jessevanes1]

so!! where it is it, going to fit?

[@mehere6874]

What a tool! A real chip of his old man's block.

[@ThatOneGuySometime]

“It’s really a headache finding your feeds and speeds” yeah, no kidding. This stuff is tougher than Scrooges heart at Christmas. Especially if it’s already been hardened. We’ve been gobbling up inserts like a fat kid with unfettered access to a candy bowl.

[@juusojuuso9214]

Wish there was on-screen translations for imperial to metric 8) E: Well well well, found the conversions! Now I'm a happy clam

[@ahbe9856]

How much is one of these Bolts?

[@kweeks10045]

Around 20 years ago I would hire people for a company that maintained various types jet engines. We would test a people on their ability to braze hastelloy and waspaloy. It separated the posers from the artesians very quickly.

[@kosmotto]

I cant believe it the first video Ive seen from you guys where the rpm isnt 20k or 20 inches