CONSTRUCTION
The construction of the Multi-Use Fireline Handtool involed three sections. The production of the Scraper, production of the Axe, and the assembly of the two.
SCRAPER (S1)
The Scraper was first cut as a flat pattern using the CNC plasma table. The flat pattern then required ginding on each working edge. Lastly, the flanges were each bent into place using a torch, vise, and wrench.
AXE (A1)
The Axe was machined on a 3 - axis milling maching both manually and by CNC. The completion of the part required 4 setups and carbide tooling to achieve the desired features. Machining the Axe allowed the project to make use of the great resources provide by CWU. This was an application of skills learned in Advanced Machining and CAD/CAM.
ASSEMBLY
The two parts were assembled by TIG welding. Once welded, the assembled tool head was taken to PACMET for a heat treatment. The final part of assembly was to fit the tool head onto a tool handle and provide a protective coat of paint.
MANUFACTURING ISSUES
During the machining process of the Axe most issues came from the eye hole feature. These issues resulted from the use of thin, long tooling and a hard part material. To adjust for the issue, more expensive carbide tooling and more conservative adaptive tool paths were used. The overall construction required much more labor and machine time than desired.