German company BCT is exhibiting its adaptive machining systems for the manufacture and overhaul of gas turbine engine components. The company claims that by automatically compensating for part-to-part deviations and inaccurate clamping positions, its system can improve accuracy and throughput while lowering costs.

BCT does this by scanning blades, vanes, disks and so forth and processing the resulting data to create “geometrically adapted NC [numerical control] programs.” The company said the main application is the automated repair and overhaul of worn turbine components, more specifically: three- to five-axis re-profiling of welded-on tips and edges of compressor and turbine blades and vanes; five-axis reprofiling of blisks with the repair modes of tip welding, edge welding, patching and linear friction welding; automated process chain for crack repair of
hot-section parts; and powder fusion welding of blades and blisks.

As well as providing the system for new machines, BCT is offering to retrofit existing machines and integrated systems with the new capability.