MANUFACTURING

PROCESSES:

NONTRADITIONAL (OR)
UNCONVENTIONAL
MACHINING


Manufacturing System Team Teaching
Industrial Engineering ITS
Week 12
Introduction
Conventional -> sharp cutting tool to form a
chip from the work -> Material Removal
Process.
Traditional machining: turning, milling,
drilling, grinding, etc.
Non conventional -> Other technique for
remove excess material by various technique
(not using sharp tool) -> other energy :
chemical, mechanical, electrical and therma

Classification of non tradional
machining
Mechanical: Different from conventional.
Erotion of the work material by a high velocity
stream of abrasive or fluid (or both) is the
typical form of mechanical action in these
processes.
Electrical: these nontraditional processes use
electrochemical energy to remove material: the
mechanism is the reverse of electroplating
Classification of non tradional
machining
Thermal : Use thermal energy (converted from
electrical energy) to cut or shape the workpart.
Usually gapplied to a very small portion of the
work causing portion to be removed by fusion
/vaporization of the material.
Chemical: Chemicals selectively remove
material from portions of workpart, while other
portions of the surface are protected by mask

Why Nontraditional Processes?
New Materials (1940s)
Stronger
Tougher
Harder
Applications
Cut tough materials (above
400 HB.)
Finish complex/unusual
surface geometry
Surface finish
requirements/avoid surface
damage due ot rise of T or
residual stress

6
Mechanical Energy Process
Ultrasonic machining (USM)
Water jet cutting
Abrasive water jet cutting
Abrasive jet machining

Mechanical : USM
Ultrasonic Machining -
Cutting action is
accomplished with an
abrasive slurry which is
driven by a tool vibrating at
high frequency. The tool is
the exact shape of the
desired shape to be cut into
the work.
Applications (coining
operations,
slots, blind holes, irregular
shapes, and through holes.
Tool material: soft steel, stainless steel
Abrasive material: boron nitride, boron
carbide, aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, etc
Material : brittle and hard (glass, ceramics,
carbides)
MECHANICAL: WATER JET MACHINING
(WJC)

Water jet acts like a saw and cuts a narrow groove
in the material.
Pressure level of the jet is about 400MPa.
Advantages
- no heat produced
- cut can be started anywhere without the
need for predrilled holes
- burr produced is minimum
- environmentally safe and friendly
manufacturing.
Application used for cutting composites, plastics,
fabrics, rubber, wood products etc. Also used in
food processing industry.
MECHANICAL: WATER JET MACHINING
WATER JET MACHINING
Mechanical:
Abrasive Water-Jet Cutting (AWJC)

Similar to sandblasting
Process utilizes a high velocity stream of water mixed with an
abrasive as the cutting tool
Forces the mixture through a nozzle with a hole diameter of
.0040 - .012
System pressures range from 30,000 - 50,000 psi
Used to cut a variety of materials from wood to tool steel (not
for brittle material)
Cutting rate - Alum. Plate - 150 in/min.
One disadvantage to note
Tolerances typically (+/- .01)
MECHANICAL: Abrasive Jet
Machining (AJM)

In AJM a high velocity jet of dry air/ stream of
gas, nitrogen or CO2 containing abrasive
particles (aluminium oxide, silicon carbide) is
aimed at the work piece.
The impact of the particles produce sufficient
force to cut small hole or slots, deburring,
trimming and removing oxides and other surface
films.
Usually for finishing process
For brittle and hard material (glass, silicon, etc) ,
in thin flat stock



ABRASIVE JET MACHINING
Abrasive Waterjet and
Waterjet Part Examples
Chemical Machining
Material removal occurs
through contact with
a strong chemical
etchant.
Chemical milling
Chemical blanking
Chemical
engraving
Photochemical
machining
Steps:
Cleaning to ensure material
will be removed uniformly from
the surface to be etched
Masking - a maskant (protective
coating/chemically resistance)
applied to certain portion of the
part surface that are not to be
etched
Etching material revoval by
immerse the material in an
etchant that attack part surface
that are not masked
Demasking - maskant removed
from the part
Maskant Process
CUT AND PEEL :
Maskant is applied over
entire part by dipping,
painting, or spraying
After maskant hardens, it is
cut by hand using a
scribing knife and peeled
away in areas of work
surface to be etched
Used for large workparts,
low production quantities,
and where accuracy is not
a critical factor
PHOTOGRAPH RESIST :
Masking materials contain
photosensitive chemicals
Maskant is applied to work
surface and exposed to light
through a negative image of
areas to be etched
These areas are then removed
using photographic developing
techniques
Remaining areas are vulnerable
to etching
Applications:
Small parts are produced in high
quantities
Fabrication of integrated circuits
and printed circuit cards
SCREEN RESIST :
Maskant applied by silk
screening methods
Maskant is painted through a
silk or stainless steel mesh
containing stencil onto surface
areas that are not to be etched
Applications:
Between other two masking
methods
Fabrication of printed circuit
boards

Materials: neoprene, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene, and other polymers
Chemical Machining (CM)

Oldest nontraditional machining process.
Material is removed from a surface by chemical dissolution using
chemical reagents or etchants like acids and alkaline solutions.
Types of chemical machining
1. chemical Milling (chem-mill)
By selectively attacking different areas of work piece
with chemical reagents shallow cavities can be produced on
plates, sheets, forging and extrusion. Use largely in the
aircraft industry, to remove material from wing and fuselage
panels for weight reduction


1. CHEMICAL MILLING

2. chemical blanking

It is similar to blanking in sheet metals
except material is removed by chemical
dissolution rather than by shearing.
Used in bur free etching of printed circuit
boards, decorative panels etc.
To cut very thin sheet metal (0.025 mm thick) or
intricate cutting patern

3. Photochemical Machining
(PCM)

Chemical machining in which the photoresist
method of masking is used

Employed in metal working when close tolerances
/ intricate pattern required
Use extensively in electronic industry (circuit
design, semiconductor wafers)

Electrochemical Machining
(ECM)
Reverse of electroplating
An electrolyte acts as a current carrier and high
electrolyte movement in the tool-work-piece gap
washes metal ions away from the work piece
(anode) before they have a chance to plate on
to the tool (cathode).
Tool generally made of bronze, copper, brass
or stainless steel.
Electrolyte salt solutions like sodium chloride
or sodium nitrate mixed in water.
Power DC supply of 5-25 V.



Advantages of ECM

Process leaves a burr free surface.
Does not cause any thermal damage to the
parts.
Lack of tool force prevents distortion of parts.
Capable of machining complex parts and hard
materials

ECM systems are now available as
Numerically Controlled machining centers with
capability for high production, high flexibility and
high tolerances.

ELECTROCHEMICAL MACHINING
ELECTROCHEMICAL GRINDING
Electrochemical Grinding (ECG)

Combines electrochemical machining with
conventional grinding.
The equipment used is similar to conventional
grinder except that the wheel is a rotating
cathode with abrasive particles. The wheel is
metal bonded with diamond or Al oxide
abrasives.
Abrasives serve as insulator between wheel and
work piece. A flow of electrolyte (sodium nitrate)
is provided for electrochemical machining.
Suitable in grinding very hard materials where
wheel wear can be very high in traditional
grinding.
Thermal
Material removal processes based on
thermal energy are characterized by very
high temperatures hot enough to
remove material by fusion or vaporation
Electrical discharge machining
(EDM)

Based on erosion of metals by spark discharges.
EDM system consist of a tool (electrode) and work piece,
connected to a dc power supply and placed in a
dielectric fluid.
when potential difference between tool and work piece is
high, a transient spark discharges through the fluid,
removing a small amount of metal from the work piece
surface.
This process is repeated with capacitor discharge rates
of 50-500 kHz.
dielectric fluid mineral oils, kerosene, distilled and
deionized water etc.
role of the dielectric fluid
1. acts as a insulator until the potential is sufficiently
high.
2. acts as a flushing medium and carries away the
debris.
3. also acts as a cooling medium.
Electrodes usually made of graphite.
EDM can be used for die cavities, small diameter deep
holes,turbine blades and various intricate shapes.


EDM
Wire EDM

This process is similar to contour cutting with a band
saw.
a slow moving wire travels along a prescribed path,
cutting the work piece with discharge sparks.
wire should have sufficient tensile strength and fracture
toughness.
wire is made of brass, copper or tungsten. (about
0.25mm in diameter).

WIRE EDM
Laser beam machining (LBM)

In LBM laser is focused and the work piece
which melts and evaporates portions of the work
piece.
Low reflectivity and thermal conductivity of the
work piece surface, and low specific heat and
latent heat of melting and evaporation
increases process efficiency.
application - holes with depth-to-diameter ratios
of 50 to 1 can be drilled. e.g. bleeder holes for
fuel-pump covers, lubrication holes in
transmission hubs.

LASER BEAM MACHINING
Electron beam machining (EBM)

similar to LBM except laser beam is replaced by
high velocity electrons.
when electron beam strikes the work piece
surface, heat is produced and metal is
vaporized.
surface finish achieved is better than LBM.
Used for very accurate cutting of a wide variety
of metals.


ELCTRON BEAM MACHINING