What are the machining processes used for processing axial fan housings

The processing technology for axial fan housings needs to be comprehensively determined based on material characteristics, structural complexity, and precision requirements. Common materials for axial fan housings: steel plate (carbon steel, stainless steel), aluminum alloy, cast iron, etc. Steel plate has high strength and is suitable for high-pressure scenarios; aluminum alloy is lightweight and suitable for aviation or household appliance fields. For thin steel plates, a shearing machine can be used for direct cutting, which is efficient but has lower edge precision. Laser cutting is suitable for steel plates or aluminum alloys of any shape, with high precision and smooth cuts, making it suitable for complex contour housings. Plasma cutting is more suitable for steel plates with a thickness > 10mm, with fast speed but requiring subsequent edge treatment. A bending machine is used to bend the sheared steel plate into right angles or arcs to form the basic outline of the housing (such as cylindrical or square shells). It is necessary to calculate the bending allowance in advance to avoid dimensional deviations, which is commonly used for the main frame of the fan housing. Then, stamping dies are used to stretch, flange, and punch the sheet metal, for example, to process mounting holes, ventilation slots, or reinforcing ribs on the housing. Next, the formed housing parts need to be spliced together, mainly using welding processes, but the appropriate type of process needs to be selected based on the specific situation. Arc welding: such as MIG welding (gas metal arc welding) and TIG welding (gas tungsten arc welding), is used for splicing steel plate or aluminum alloy housings, and attention should be paid to welding deformation control. Laser welding: has a small heat-affected zone and high precision, making it suitable for sealing welding of thin-walled housings (such as stainless steel household appliance housings). Spot welding: is used for connecting internal reinforcing ribs to the main body of the housing or for fixing multi-layer sheets. The cast or welded housing blanks are turned to process circular features such as shaft holes and flange surfaces to ensure concentricity (such as the matching accuracy of the fan shaft hole and the impeller). A CNC milling machine is used to process the mounting plane, grooves, or complex curved surfaces of the housing (such as guide vane mounting slots). Process bolt holes and positioning holes, and tap the threaded holes to ensure the installation accuracy of accessories (such as motors and brackets). Finally, the finished product is subjected to surface anti-rust treatment, assembled and debugged before it can be used.