This bracket started as a 4.8kg billet and leaves the shop at 0.6kg — nearly nine-tenths of the material removed as chips. The pocketing sequence is planned around which ribs to leave standing until last, because a thin web machined too early flexes under the next tool’s cutting force and the pocket walls come out tapered instead of square.
Part
Satellite Bracket
A weight-optimized structural bracket, pocketed down to a rib-and-web section that removes most of the original billet before it ever sees an instrument.
Part
Satellite Bracket
Rev
Rev A
Year
2026
Material
7075-T6 aluminium
Tightest tolerance
±0.05mm (50 µm) general
Lot
6-off, prototype lot
Lead time
12 days
Route sheet
How this part actually got made.
| Op | Stage | Machine | Tool | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Stock | Material stores | — | Saw-cut billet, certificate matched to the traveler. |
| 02 | Face | Haas VF-2, 3-axis vertical mill | Ø12mm ball-nose, 2-flute carbide | Rz ≈ 190.52 µm |
| 03 | Haas VF-2, 3-axis vertical mill | Ø8mm ball-nose, 2-flute carbide | Rz ≈ 127.02 µm | |
| 04 | Drill | Haas VF-2, 3-axis vertical mill | Ø6mm jobber drill, HSCO | — |
| 05 | Inspect | Zeiss Contura CMM | — | First-article report against the drawing's GD&T callouts. |
Finish
Specified surface finish.
What the drawing calls out — verified on receipt with a profilometer, not assumed from the tool that made it.
Ra3.20 µm
Related work
