A landing gear leg is a central component of the landing gear that supports the entire weight of the aircraft during takeoff, landing, and taxiing, and absorbs shocks.
30. July 2025
Pokolm Premimtools Roughing and Finishing Landing Gear
made of 300M alloy steel with short processing times
It usually consists of high-strength steel or titanium alloys. High-strength steel alloys, such as 300M alloy steel, are particularly popular for use in safety-critical components such as landing gear and undercarriages. These alloys offer enormous strength but pose particular challenges when it comes to machining.
High-strength steels have high tensile strength, which requires very high cutting forces during machining. As a result, tools wear out more quickly and the load on the machine increases significantly. In addition, the high cutting forces generate extreme frictional heat. This heat leads to dimensional deviations and puts thermal stress on the tool (e.g., microcracks).
Different Pokolm Premiumtools were specifically combined to bring their strengths to bear in the production of a landing gear leg, significantly reducing machining time, tool wear, and rework.
Milling tools and holders in a vibration-damping version were used for roughing deep cavities. This type of vibration damping enabled the indexable insert milling cutters used to achieve a longer service life. As the ideal tool for roughing with high feed rates, indexable insert milling cutters are also suitable for effective simultaneous rotary roughing, achieving up to 45% shorter machining times. Specially developed indexable inserts with a long service life are available for 300M alloy steel.
Slotworx® L, a universal corner and slot milling cutter with modern cutting edge geometry, and Slotworx® VF, an expert for finishing operations, deliver excellent feed rates and mirror-smooth surfaces thanks to their large number of teeth. The tool systems can partially replace solid carbide and mills and deliver the best surface quality on walls and floors.
The third Pokolm Premiumtool used in this practical example for roughing is Quadworx®, a master of milling with high feed rates. The tool system excels with maximum process reliability and high metal removal rates.
The landing gear was finished with Mirroworx® and round insert milling cutters with CBN indexable inserts. The high-performance tools finish perfectly in vertical and flat free-form areas with adaptive steps, achieving maximum cutting speeds of up to 1200 m/min in 300M alloy steel. The CBN indexable inserts enabled finishing three times faster than with the previous process.
Mirroworx® also finishes with high feed rates and is equally suitable for effective simultaneous rotary finishing. The use of Mirroworx® resulted in a threefold reduction in machining time.
