Solutions | Overcoming Precision-Machining Challenges for Scroll Plate! Enabling High-Volume Production of New-Energy Compressor
Solutions | Overcoming Precision-Machining Challenges for Scroll Plates
Enabling High-Volume Production of New-Energy Compressors
Scroll compressors are widely adopted in new-energy vehicles, rail transit, and other sectors for their low vibration, low noise, and high efficiency. The scroll plates—orbiting scroll and fixed scroll—serve as the core components of scroll compressors. They are commonly made of die-cast aluminum alloys such as 4032 (AL-Si12CuMg) and ADC12. Machining of the scroll profile is a critical process. Featuring an involute-spiral thin-wall deep-groove structure, it demands micron-level precision. Machining quality directly determines the energy efficiency, noise performance, and reliability of compressors.
Drawing on years of experience and accumulation in superhard cutting tools, GESAC has launched a 4-flute PCD finishing end mill specially designed for scroll-plate machining of automotive air-conditioning scroll compressors. It addresses bottlenecks in scroll-plate finishing. Meanwhile, stable and reliable fixture solutions are provided to resolve the pain point of clamping-induced deformation, forming a complete set of solutions to help manufacturers achieve stable and high-efficiency mass production.
Core Machining Challenges
- Thin-wall workpieces deliver low rigidity and are prone to chatter marks and deformation during clamping and machining.
- Stringent micron-level dimensional accuracy requirements; thermal deformation induced by cutting heat leads to dimensional instability.
- Aluminum alloys feature high ductility, and built-up edges tend to occur in high-speed machining.
Solution Overview
Fixture Solutions
Aluminum-alloy scroll plates are typical thin-walled parts susceptible to deformation. Therefore, fixture design is decisive for qualified output. GESAC’s fixture solutions for two finishing operations are as follows:
- OP40 (Finish-milling of bottom face and inner bore): External-diameter clamping by six-segment elastic chuck. Similar to Hainbuch rubber collets, it performs parallel clamping with evenly distributed force to minimize workpiece deformation.
- OP50 (Finish-milling of profile): Inner-bore expansion clamping plus axial end-face compression. It reuses the unified datum of inner bore and end face to eliminate positioning errors caused by datum conversion. Uniform radial stress is achieved via expanding sleeves to reduce clamping-caused deformation in finishing. End-face compression prevents workpiece lifting under milling force, guaranteeing the profile and position tolerances of scroll profiles.
Finishing-Tool Solution
GESAC’s 4-flute PCD finishing end mill has been specially optimized in multiple dimensions, including cutting-edge geometry, PCD material, and welding process, making it highly adapted to high-speed finishing conditions for scroll plates.
- Vibration suppression: Unique cutting-edge geometry significantly lowers cutting resistance, effectively inhibiting chatter marks and burrs for superior surface quality.
- High precision: Rational structural design paired with advanced manufacturing technology ensures tool accuracy and reliable, stable perpendicularity of machined workpieces.
- Extended service life: High-wear-resistant diamond composite blanks together with mature welding technology greatly extend tool service life compared with conventional tools. It reduces tool-change frequency and downtime, effectively lowering per-piece tooling cost.
Application Case
Customer requirement: finishing of scroll profile; perpendicularity ±0.005 mm, flatness ≤0.01 mm, profile tolerance ≤0.02 mm, surface roughness Ra0.2, while meeting high-efficiency machining targets.
GESAC’s 4-flute PCD end mill for scroll-profile finishing satisfies the perpendicularity requirement of ±0.005 mm. It achieves a tool life of 3000 workpieces per cutting tip, representing a 100% increase in tool service life and a 122% improvement in machining efficiency versus original cemented-carbide tools. While securing machining quality, it drastically cuts tool-change times, helping customers balance productivity and yield and realize cost reduction and efficiency improvement.