ZEISS AEROSPACE SOLUTIONS

Blisk

Engineered for performance

A bladed disk, also known as a 'blisk' or integrated blade rotor (IBR), is a component that consists of blades that are machined into a rotor disk to form a single part. These disks are primarily used in high-pressure compressors and, increasingly, in low-pressure compressors, including fan blades. More recent designs of bladed disks include what is known as 'blums': a combination of several bladed disks on a drum with multiple stages. Measuring bladed rotors is highly complicated due to their exotic sizes, shapes, and special machining techniques, including unique combinations to achieve the desired characteristics. However, ZEISS solutions can meet all of these demands.

ZEISS blisk solutions through every quality gate

The manufacturing processes for blisks require high investment and take a long time, while the desired speed for measurement needs to be as short as possible. This clash of circumstances puts pressure on manufacturers to produce high-quality blisk products quickly to keep up with the ever-increasing demand in the aerospace market. Customers are increasingly selecting ZEISS solutions to provide fast, reliable, and repeatable results in minutes rather than hours.

Click through all process steps

Billet or forging disc

The blick starts as raw material, a forged hub, or sometimes as individual airfoils.

The challenge
The integrity of the raw material is not just important, it's critical to the final product. The material, composition, and purity must be checked. When it comes to forgings, it is crucial to measure the material shape to ensure that it complies with the required specifications.

Our solution

ZEISS industrial microscopy solutions perfectly complement raw material production and metallurgical composition inspection.
ZEISS ScanBox offers full-field measurement and forging inspection.

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Disc and hub machining

Creating the interface and weight relief features for the compressor blisk is a high-accuracy activity.

The challenge
Due to their limited accessibility, measuring precision bores and weight relief grooves accurately and promptly can be challenging.

Our solution

For high accuracy requirements, ZEISS PRISMO family is perfect. Furthermore, the integrated rotary table reduces measuring cycle times significantly.

For the surface finish, ZEISS ROTOS sensors can accurately determine roughness.

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Linear friction welding

Adding pre-forged blades to the disc hub body using mechanical rubbing is a common technique with specific quality requirements.

The challenge
In the inherent nature of a welding process, excess material is at the position between the root of the airfoil as it connects to the disc, necessitating further machining.

Our solution

ATOS ScanBox ensures a flawless blend and transition between the airfoil and the annulus surface on the blisk to measure the data in 3D and pass data to third-party adaptive machining processes.

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Airfoil machining

Whether complete machining from stock material or blending linear friction-welded airfoil, airfoil machining is time-consuming and significantly impacts the engine's performance.

The challenge

Optimizing measurement processes is essential to meeting the demands of evolving airfoil geometries, which feature increased complexity with sharper edges and more pronounced twists. With limited factory floor space and the need for high production rates, there is a growing emphasis on achieving faster measurement times.

Our solution

Providing fast, accurate, optical, tactile, and compact solutions from tactile scanning to 3D data capture, the answer is a ZEISS metrology machinery.

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Final validation

Adhering to the standards set by regulatory authorities and original equipment manufacturers (OEM), such as AS9102 or AS13003, is not merely essential but also rigorous and all-encompassing.

The challenge
Extensive validation requirements on a blisk with complementary solutions are needed to fulfill all requirements.

Our solution

High-accuracy tactile, optical, and microscopy solutions fulfill thousands of characteristics necessary to validate.
ZEISS Quality Suite helps compile results effectively.
Specific software like ZEISS INSPECT Airfoil efficiently qualifies every characteristic on part drawings or other standards.

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Quality control throughout the entire blisk lifecycle

Maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO)

Facilitating easier inspection processes

Any damage to the blades on blisks or integrated blade rotors (IBRs) requires a complete engine removal so that the rotor can be replaced or new blades can be welded. Moreover, standard maintenance cannot be performed on the flight line and must be carried out at a specialized facility. Given the costly and labor-intensive process, blisk manufacturers require inspection systems and software that offer faster speed and intuitive technology to increase the lifespan of blisks and decrease downtime caused by repair work.