Roughing the blade rhombus and aerofoil, especially of medium-sized blades, from blanks, to achieve the basic blade form is often at the center of attention as it represents the bulk of machining. Many of these are made in martensitic stainless steel but blades are also made in Duplex, HRSA and Titanium.
These operations have seen a number of different solutions through the years and with the advancement of tools, design and manufacturing technologies. The best balance between feed, depth of cut, RPM and selection of right tools as well as the cutting forces generated should be established to achieve optimized performance, safety and results.