THIS PROCEDURE IS OUT OF DATE AND FOR REFERENCE ONLY. FOR CURRENT PROCEDURE SEE Hermes III Fin Leading Edge (FC005) Manufacturing Procedure Version II
Purpose
The leading edge (LE) protects the fin from the aerodynamic heating. It also moves the elastic center and the center of mass forward. It adds considerable stiffness to the fin. It takes two people around 12 hours to make a set of leading edges.
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- Tilt the mill head to 15 degrees.
- Tram the vise perpendicular to the mill table.
- Clamp the LE in soft jaws that extend out beyond the vise.
- Secure the 1/4" Carbide End Mill in the machine.
- Set the speed to 5000 rpm and the feed to 5.4 ipm.
- Set the Z to the final dimension and work the Y in FDSF.090" per pass. (Five passes plus a finishing pass)
- Perform a .005" finishing pass.
- Flip the fin and machine the other side.
- Replace the end mill every 2-3 fins.
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